Love Me Or Kill Me
by MaidofShadow
Summary: "He was gorgeous. A pale glow surrounded his body, as if he was an angel. He might as well have been. His golden hair fell perfectly, his blue eyes seemed endless, his pale skin flawless. Completely perfect. I was in love with him before I even knew his name." A girl who has gone nearly mad after a dream she had, saves an old woman and she's presented with a choice. Legolas/OC
1. Prologue

**New story! Tell me if I should continue! I'll post the prologue and the first chapter. Enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Prologue:

I dreamt that I was with elves. It was a ball, or maybe a feast; I wasn't quite sure. Everyone was having a great time; dancing, eating, singing. I was laughing with some dark haired elves at something someone said when I saw him.

Everything else faded away as he walked towards me. He was gorgeous. A pale glow surrounded his body, as if he was an angel. He might as well have been. His golden hair fell perfectly, his blue eyes seemed endless, his pale skin flawless. Completely perfect.

I was in love with him before I even knew his name. I had the strangest feeling though, as if we had met before. I went to meet him in the middle of the floor, both of us oblivious to what was happening around us. We stood for a moment, staring at each other. His hand rose tentatively towards my face and I leaned into it. I didn't know what was happening or why and by the looks of it neither did he but it felt right. I took a step towards him. All I knew was that I loved him. It sounds crazy but I did. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. I stood on my tiptoes and closed the distance. A moment of pure ecstasy before everything went white.

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><p>I woke up sweating and panting. I remembered the dream perfectly; every little detail. I got up and went into the bathroom to splash some cold water in my face.<p>

What was wrong with me? I was shaking and I didn't know why. Questions flooded my mind. Who was he? Was he real? Did he love me? Did I love him now that I was out of my dream? And most importantly, why? Why did it happen? My thoughts slowly became scrambled and unintelligible. I sank to the floor, head in my hands. I was crying. I hadn't even noticed. Soon it became uncontrollable sobbing. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. No, it was worse than that. It already had been. He had taken it with him. And in that moment I knew. I knew I would never be happy here. I knew that this world was no longer enough. I knew that I loved him and if I didn't find him, I would die.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	2. Chapter 1

**First chapter! I won't post anymore if I don't get some reviews (positive ones but you can do what you want). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 1:

Since that night I had been a mess. Depression had settled in. I hated the world. I hated life. Every moment without him was a moment wasted. I needed him. I was utterly, completely lost without him. When I had been with him for those brief moments in my dream, I had been complete. For the first time in my life I belonged somewhere. Right there, in his arms. I just felt the need to find him. That constant urge. It was getting hard to focus on anything else. I couldn't work, eat, sleep, even think!

People were beginning to notice. My friends had commented on it, my boss had expressed his worry, even the doorman had asked if I was alright! I wasn't though. I wasn't even close. I was falling apart. Being away from him was killing me. Everyone was trying to guess what was wrong with me. What had happened to inspire such a change.

In the end it was the old woman who saved me. I was shopping for groceries when I noticed a little old lady trying to reach a can of cat food. I went over to her and got it down for her. "Here you go," I said handing it to her, with a half hearted smile. "Thank you," she replied smiling up at me. "Your welcome," I said and I turned away forgetting all about it.

The second time I saw her was on the subway. I was tried after a long day of work so I took the only seat left. At the next stop she got on carrying many bags and looking ready to collapse. I didn't recognize her but I gave her my seat, receiving the same thank you as before.

The last time was on the street. I was there minding my own business when I saw an old lady crossing the street. She was slow and the lights were about to change. Suddenly this crazy driver sped towards her. She couldn't do anything about it. Without thinking I raced in front of it and pushed her to the sidewalk, bracing myself for impact. None came. When I opened my eyes I was surrounded by white light.

Am I dead? I wondered. I looked around but all I could make out was blinding white that went on forever.

"You risked your life for mine," a voice behind me said. I spun around to find one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen regarding me. She seemed young yet wise and very sad. She had dark hair, blue eyes and pale skin. She looked vaguely familiar.

"You're that old woman!" I said, finally remembering where I had seen her before.

She smiled. "Yes. I am."

"What's your name?" I inquired.

"My name is Lúthien Tinúviel," she told me. "I was one of the only elves to fall in love with a mortal." She turned her head and I could see her pointed ears.

"Where am I?" I asked cautiously.

"You are in the realm between worlds." She answered, looking at me unnervingly. "I was exiled here. I gave up my immortality so my love could live but instead of aging and dying I was sent here where I am not dead, nor alive. I found a way to pass between Earth and the Shadow Realm for short intervals of time."

"Shadow Realm?" I knit my eyebrows together, still trying to make sense of it all.

She waved her hand and the white light subsided. Suddenly I could see ruins and things that I could not describe as anything less than ghost structures. Transparent and moving, you could only see them from the corner of your eye. If you looked at them head on they would dissipate.

"This is the Shadow Realm. Beings you would call gods and spirits tried to build things here once but it was not meant to be. Now all that's left are shadows of the past and me. I am here alone." I was getting a little worried. What if she wanted me to be her companion or something?

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"Because you have a good heart." She answered. "You helped me 3 times, once would've been lifesaving if I had been mortal. I'm returning the favour."

"You're returning the favour?" I said, puzzled. "What do you mean? What favour? How?"

She turned to look at me. "You had a dream, a few months ago?" I nodded. "You fell in love. If you succeed, you will be the first."

"I will be the first what?" This was getting weirder and weirder.

"In all the history of Middle Earth only three elves have fallen in love with and married humans. So far only she-elves have fallen in love with anyone from the race of man. You fell in love with an elf. A male elf. If you succeed, if he loves you at the end of your journey, you will be the first woman to marry a male elf."

I gaped at her. What was she talking about? Middle Earth? I must've hit my head hard. Either that or I was dead and in some weird form of limbo.

"In return for helping me I am giving you a choice. If you so wish it you will go to Middle Earth and have a chance at making this elf fall in love with you. If you fail, you will have your heart broken and you will die, assuming you're still alive at that point. If you choose this, you will have a gift from me and some supplies you will need. If you don't choose this path, you will go back to your life on Earth where you will survive the crash. Your gift there will be to let you live but it may be wasted, since you may die of heartbreak. Which path do you choose?"

A chance to see him? To make him fall in love with me? There was no doubt about which path I would choose.

"I choose to go to Middle Earth and try to win over the man-er-elf I love."

The woman turned her gaze on me. "Are you sure? It will be dangerous, possibly even fatal." I just nodded with determination. So what if I was going crazy? I would get to see him again.

"Very well. I wish you all the best of luck."

I smiled for the first time in ages. "Thank you."

She offered a small smile in return and kissed my forehead. Everything became blinding light again and I remembered no more.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean so much to me! I won't post anymore unless I get some positive reviews!**

**~Liliana**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Yay! OK, I wasn't sure where to go with this story so this is what I came up with. A few options were to write the story at a point where nothing is happening so before the quest for Mt. Doom started or after, to put this under the Hobbit and do it during that or to do it during the main series. I chose the main series because it promised the most action and I have no imagination to make up my own adventure. This will NOT be tenth walker, in the sense that she comes much later into the story, once the fellowship is already broken. Sorry if it's not what you wanted. If you have any suggestions for things you want to see happen please review or pm me to tell me! I'll consider all the things you say.**

**PS this is probably going to be movieverse, but I'm likely to change certain events.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 2:

I opened my eyes to blackness. My head was spinning and my knees felt weak. The tiny bit of moonlight that could be seen poking through what looked like a canopy of leaves, reflected off three pairs of eyes looking down at me. I let out a strangled cry and tried to scramble away from them when I realized I couldn't. The only thing I could move was my head. What the hell?

"Who are you?" said a male voice with a Scottish accent.

"Who-I-me?" I managed to get out. The words caught in my throat in fear and the worst part was I knew I couldn't run away. I was trapped. What if the things attached to the eyes were evil?

"Yes, who are you?" asked a much deeper, much older, much scarier voice. It talked slowly as if it had all the time in the world.

"My name is..." My voice shook slightly as I tried to respond. I found I couldn't finish the sentence. I racked my brains, coming up with nothing. What was my name? "I don't know."

"You don't know your own name?" The deep voice repeated. "I think she's lying." It said to the other pairs of eyes.

"I'm not so sure," said a new voice. This voice sounded more like the first in tone, though this one had a British accent instead.

Suddenly, I saw 2 dark shapes descend the tree that all the pairs of eyes were in. They moved towards me but there was nothing I could do. The moonlight fell on them when they reached me, allowing me to finally see them. They were adorable, little men with vests and curly hair. They both looked inquisitive and I realized that although they could be evil, it was unlikely. I relaxed a bit but still kept my guard up. The slow, deep voice had sounded dangerous.

"She doesn't look evil," said the Scottish one to the other.

"We can't be sure Pip," the other responded. I recognized the British accent as the one who had spoken third. That meant the deep voiced one was still in the tree.

"I'm not evil!" I said quickly, shaking my head. I looked at them desperately. "I'm just lost! I don't know where I am and I can't remember my name! Please don't hurt me!" I directed that last part at the thing in the tree.

"I say we help her," the one called 'Pip' said.

"I don't know..." the other looked as if he was weighing all the options in his head.

"Please," I begged. "If I am evil you can keep an eye on me and if I'm not then you will have helped me. Please."

The little men thought about it for a moment. Feeling was beginning to return to my hands and feet and I flexed my fingers. Thank goodness, I wasn't paralyzed.

"She makes a good point," Pip commented. The other still looked uncertain but he nodded.

"Aright, we'll help you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

Pip knelt beside me, a kind smile on his face. "I'm Pippin, this is Merry." The names suited them. Pippin pointed upwards at the tree where the deep voice was coming from. "And that's Treebeard." Treebeard? What sort of name was that?

"What are you?" I asked, having never seen anything like them before. Sure, I had seen midgets, etc but they didn't have such hairy feet (which I realized both Merry and Pippin had).

"Hobbits. Big folk, such as yourself, have probably never heard of us." Merry responded, seeming to warm up to me slightly.

"You're right, I have no idea what that is." I told them truthfully.

"Halflings," was all Merry said.

I shook my head. "Sorry, I still don't know what you are."

Pippin shrugged as if it didn't bother him. "Most people don't."

"What about Treebeard?" I asked. "What is he?" I still couldn't see him but I could tell from the way his voice sounded and how spread apart his eyes were, that he was not a hobbit.

Some light began to pour through the trees and I realized the sun must've come up. I looked up to where the other pair of eyes were and gaped.

"Treebeard," Pippin began. "Is an ent."

**Love it? Hate it? Please review! No new chapters until I get a review. I know it's short but I didn't have much time for writing this week and I had writers block with this story. You see, I had it for a long time before posting it so... Anyways, hopefully this will move things forwards a bit and maybe she'll meet Legolas soon ;)**

**Tell me what you think, it would mean a lot!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	4. Chapter 3

**Wow! I got a really positive response from my last chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it means so much. To address a few reviews that said the chapter was really short, it was because I wasn't feeling good but I felt you deserved an update. The next few chapters will probably be longer but there will be more time between updates. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 3:

"So what should we call you then?" Pippin asked. We were on our way to the edge of the forest, Treebeard having agreed to take me with Merry and Pippin to where ever they were going.

"Uh...I'm not sure," I responded with a shrug. "Whatever you feel is fit." Pippin and Merry seemed to be deep in thought at that reply.

"Hmmm," Pippin tapped his fingers to his chin. "How about Poppy?" I crinkled my nose.

"Pippin, we can't give her any old Hobbit name!" Merry said. He gazed at me. "She seems too regal for that." I laughed a little at this. Nobody had ever called me regal before, at least that I could remember. I couldn't remember much of my life before Merry and Pippin found me. I could remember a dream with an elf and stepping front of a car to save an old lady. That's about it. Everything else was blanked out with little snippets of memory poking through. I could remember getting my first bike and things like that but nothing really important, like my name.

"An Elvish name then?" Pippin asked. Merry shrugged.

"I do not know any Elvish names," he said.

"We could give her an Entish name," Treebeard said in that slow tone of his.

"No, no, no!" Pippin and Merry said quickly. I smiled.

"How about Star?" Pippin suggested. I tilted my head.

"Why?"

"Because you are as beautiful as the night sky," Pippin told me before blushing. I was silent for a moment before I burst out laughing.

"Alright," I said. Another memory came to mind. A Spanish class. They were teaching us how to say star in Spanish. "How about Estrella?" Merry and Pippin both looked up at me, wide smiles on their faces.

"That's perfect." Merry said.

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><p>"Wait! Stop!" Pippin yelled, waking me from my slumber and almost causing to make me fall off Treebeard. "Stop!" Treebeard stood still to hear what the Hobbit had to say. "Turn around," Pippin commanded. I could see thoughts forming in his mind. He had a plan. "Turn around, take us south."<p>

"South?" Treebeard repeated. "But that will lead you past Isengard." What was Isengard? I wondered. I kept my thoughts to myself, however and waited for someone to speak again. A smile formed on Pippin's face.

"Yes," he nodded. "Exactly." Merry looked as if he was beginning to understand whatever Pippin was trying to do. Isengard seemed to be a place. "If we go south, we can slip past Saruman unnoticed." Pippin continued. Saruman? What an odd name. "The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm!" Wait a moment...danger? Who exactly was this Saruman guy? And what was Isengard? I was about to ask when Pippin began to talk again. "It's the last thing he'll expect." Treebeard seemed to consider this suggestion.

"That doesn't make sense to me." He said, "But then you are very small. Perhaps you're right." I don't know what being small had anything to do with it but I agreed, sensing Pippin had some ulterior motive. "South it is then." Treebeard said, beginning to move once more. "Hold on, little Shirelings." Ok, what the hell was a Shireling? I was so confused. "I always liked going south. Somehow it feels like going downhill."

"Are you mad?" I heard Merry ask Pippin quietly. "We'll be caught!"

"No, we won't." Pippin responded. "Not this time."

"Excuse me," I said, "But could someone explain to me what the hell is going on?"

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><p>"And those little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and they tickle me awfully." Treebeard was saying when we emerged from the woods into a barren wasteland. My mouth hung open at the sight of all the stumps of trees that used to be. Who would do something so terrible? "They're always trying to get somewhere where they..." Treebeard trailed off as he noticed the destruction and ruin.<p>

We stood in silence for a moment, just taking it all in. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. A new memory resurfaced and I knew that back on Earth (wherever I was now most certainly wasn't Earth), I had protested against the cutting of trees. I had tried to save rainforests. Clearly nature and the environment had always been important to me. Whoever had done this was no better than the humans I knew. My face twisted into an expression of disgust.

"Many of these trees were my friends," Treebeard said, sadly. It broke my heart to hear him talk that way. "Creatures I had known from nut and acorn."

"I'm sorry, Treebeard." Pippin said softly.

"They had voices of their own," Treebeard ignored Pippin. He turned his gaze on a tower in the distance with smoke coming from the area around it. "Saruman," he growled. That must've been Isengard then. "A wizard should know better!"

Thank goodness, Pippin and Merry had filled me in on Saruman or I would've been so lost at that moment. I suspected they were hiding something from me but I didn't question them. They had looked at me oddly while explaining. I guess most of the people around here knew who Saruman was.

Just then Treebeard released an ear shattering howl full of pain and despair.

"There is no curse in Entish, Elvish or the tongues of Men for this treachery." He said. A strange noise came from behind us and I whipped around, Merry and Pippin following suit. My jaw dropped.

"Look! The trees! They're moving!" Pippin said in wide eyed surprise.

"Where are they going?" Merry asked Treebeard.

"They have business with the Orcs," Treebeard told us. His voice lowered to a dangerous growl. "My business is with Isengard tonight, with rock and stone." I suddenly got the impression that I should never get on Treebeard's bad side.

Another weird sound was heard from behind us and we all turned to look again, save Treebeard. The amazement must've been clear on my face as I watched other creatures, which I could only assume were also Ents, emerge from the trees.

"Yes," Merry said, smiling.

"Come, my friends," Treebeard greeted the Ents. "The Ents are going to war." I felt a strange sort of excitement settle in my heart and stomach. "It is likely that we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents."

A grin spread across my face. Saruman was going down.

**Love it? Hate it? Please review! It would mean a lot! Reviews mean more chapters! I'm sorry it's somewhat short again but it seemed to be a good place to stop and I was in the hospital this week so I didn't have much time. Hope you enjoyed it! Tell me what you think!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	5. Chapter 4

**Oh my goodness, thank you for all the reviews! So far I have 30 on this story! That's insane! Than k you all so much! Love you! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Sorry if it's not great, I had some trouble with this one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 4:

I hadn't really understood what Treebeard had been saying when he told us that the Ents were going to war. I didn't really know what they would actually do. Now I understand how much destruction they can really cause; how much they can do when they were angry.

The Ents started the battle by throwing huge boulders through Isengard's outer walls. They then moved over the walls and entered the area with ease. They stepped on anyone who tried to get in their way and broke as much as they could. They always looked out for each other though. At one point Treebeard saw another Ent being pulled down by ropes. He threw another large stone at the people responsible.

"Yes!" Merry, Pippin and I cheered. Treebeard just growled and stepped on someone else.

I looked up to the tower and saw an old man dressed in white run out onto the balcony. I guessed he must've been Saruman. I watched as he scanned the grounds in panic and I smiled. Serves him right, I thought.

Merry and Pippin occupied themselves by throwing rocks as big as their skulls at the people below.

"Wow!" I said in awe after Merry hit one square in the head. "Your aim is spot on!" Merry looked pleased with himself. Pippin on the other hand looked slightly jealous.

"I can do it too!" he told me, bringing his hand back and letting a rock loose. It hit someone in the chest and caused them to fall over.

"A hit. A fine hit." Treebeard complimented. Pippin looked smug.

"See?" I laughed.

"Good job," I said.

The Ents continued to wreck havoc on the place. I almost felt sorry for Saruman. Almost.

Suddenly a Ent nearby burst into flames. I watched in horror as the fire engulfed his body.

"No!" I cried, jumping down from Treebeard, somehow managing to land on my feet and keep my balance. Good thing I can move again, I thought wryly as I ran towards the people who shot the flaming arrows. At the time it didn't occur to me that I could get killed. All I could think about was that poor Ent.

I reached the people and grabbed the closest one, punching it in the face. Its body crumpled to the ground. I took its heavy sword off its body and stabbed another one with it. I had never killed anyone before (at least that I could remember) but for whatever reason I didn't feel any remorse. Soon, I had taken out the four or five that had shot the arrows and only then, when I was glancing at the bodies around me, did it register that these were not humans.

I gazed at them in shock, trying to understand what I was seeing. They were these grotesque creatures that mildly resembled a human in the sense that they had 2 arms and 2 legs, etc but they were far from it. Each one was different from the other but they were all uglier than anything I had ever seen before. Their skin was blackened and they looked to be rotting. Their mouths were twisted in odd ways and their bodies were slightly deformed. Their faces were contorted awfully and the blood I had caused them to spill was black and thick.

I couldn't move. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the horrible things. I felt myself being lifted up. That snapped me out of my trance. I turned to see Treebeard placing me back on his head.

"Are you alright?" Merry asked, concerned.

"What are those?" I whispered, barely managing to get the words out.

"Orcs," Merry told me. "Awful things, they are. You're lucky you haven't seen one before, although I'm not sure how you could get through life without learning about them..." He eyed me a bit suspiciously but backed off when he saw how sick I looked.

"Oh yes!" Pippin chimed in. "They're the creatures that took us from our friends! Vicious killers and they'll eat anything! They'll even eat other Orcs!"

That was enough to put me over the edge. I move to the side of Treebeard's head and promptly threw up. I wasn't sure if it had to do with the Orcs or the fact that I killed some of them or just this whole place in general but I wretched until there was nothing left in my stomach. I felt a hand on my back and heard a voice telling me that everything would be alright.

Finally I collapsed back onto Treebeard's head, away from the edge. I clutched my stomach and hugged my knees to my chest, waiting to feel somewhat normal again.

I heard someone yell, "Break the dam!"

I looked up to see water pouring through another stone wall. On instinct I grabbed hold of Treebeard, seeing how strong the water really was.

"Release the river." Treebeard ordered. The dam broke completely and water pushed through. I watched as it took out everything in its path, be it stone, Orcs or wood. It came down the mountain like a waterfall and I was stunned by the beauty of the deadly waves.

"Pippin, Estrella! Hold on!" Merry shouted. I tightened my grip on Treebeard while the Hobbits did the same.

"Hold on!" Treebeard repeated as the water rushed towards us. We braced ourselves for impact.

When the water hit us we managed to stay in place, along with the rest of the Ents. The one that had been on fire even ran towards the waves and dipped its head in, instantly quenching the flames. I couldn't help but smile a bit at that.

I looked up at Saruman again and my smile widened. The old man was in utter panic and fear. He was trapped up there in his tower while all his workers died and all his tools became ruined. I watched as he backed away from the scene and locked himself inside.

I glanced down, happy to see the water was receding. It had put out all the fires that had been going before and I felt as if the land was cleansed in a way. I looked over at Merry and Pippin to see them grinning.

"The Ents have taken Isengard," Treebeard announced in satisfaction.

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><p>"He doesn't look to happy, does he?" Merry commented while we watched Saruman up in his tower. He was looking around franticly, an ugly man trailing behind him. I crinkled my nose in disgust.<p>

"Not too happy at all, Merry." Pippin answered cheerfully.

"Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there," Merry reasoned, taking a hold of the sides of his jacket.

"Oh yes," Pippin responded. "It's a quality establishment. I hear the staff are very good." I giggled.

Just then Merry decided to measure his height against Pippin's. Pippin must've sensed something was up because he spun around to look at Merry. He tried to pass it off as touching his hair but Pippin wasn't buying it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, exasperated.

"Nothing," said Merry in a tone of innocence. "The worlds back to normal, that's all."

"No it isn't," Pippin said, sounding miserable. "I'm starving." I laughed at their antics and shook my head. No matter where you went, who you met, boys would always be boys, I thought. Always hungry.

"Good luck trying to find something decent to eat around here," Merry replied in a somewhat bitter tone. He grabbed a basket that was floating by and looked inside. "Probably only dead rats and moldy bread."

I glanced behind me and saw quite a large amount of food in the water, all coming from a storage room. I grinned as I picked up an apple that had been beside me. I took a large bite as I was also hungry. The Hobbits turned around to look at me, hearing the crunch. Their eyes widened a little.

"What?" I asked with my mouth full. "You did say it was a quality establishment!"

Both Hobbits stared at the food floating past before tackling each other, each trying to get to it first. Merry came out on top with an apple. He looked a Pippin with satisfaction and mocking before realising that Pippin was holding an entire roasted chicken. His eyes bugged out and I laughed again. It felt good to laugh. I had the feeling I hadn't done it in a long time.

Both Pippin and Merry spotted the room full of food at the same time and rushed towards it as best they could in the water going up to their waist. I moved into the room easily, the water only just reaching my thighs. I was suddenly glad that I had woken up in this strange place in pants and a loose shirt and not a dress.

"Saruman's storeroom," Pippin breathed in delight as they entered. They caught sight of some barrels and both looked pleasantly surprised. "I don't believe it."

"It can't be," Merry added. I was wondering what the hell they were talking about until they had perched themselves on a stone shelf, with me joining them, and opened one of the barrels. It contained a dried up plant.

"It is!" Pippin told Merry gleefully.

"Longbottom Leaf!" Merry exclaimed. He took a deep whiff from the barrel. "The finest pipe weed in the South-Farthing." I suddenly understood what it was.  
>"It's perfect!" Pippin said. "One barrel each!" They each took a barrel before Pippin stopped. "Wait!" he turned to Merry. "Do you think we should share it with Treebeard?"<p>

"Share it?" Merry asked in disbelief. He glanced outside. "No, no." He took out a leaf. "Dead plant and all that. Don't think he'd understand." He leaned in towards Pippin as if telling a secret. "Could be a distant relative," he whispered. I laughed at that and they turned to look at me as if just remembering I was there.

"Would you..." Pippin hesitated before holding out his barrel. "Would you like some?"

"No, no." I shook my head. "I don't smoke." A grin broke out both their faces before they each whipped out their pipes. "Now now," I said with a wink. "Don't be hasty."

I was pretty sure that at that moment, all of Isengard could hear our laughter.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot and mean another chapter for you lovely people! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter; it's longer than the last I believe :) Next chapter she should meet Legolas! What do you think will happen? If you have any suggestions for things that you want to happen review or PM me, and I'll see if I can incorporate it. I don't have the next chapter really planned out yet so if you want them to meet a specific way or want a certain reaction, let me now and I'll consider it!**

**Tell me what you think of the chapter!**

**~Liliana**


	6. Chapter 5

**It's the chapter you've all been waiting for! It's short and kind of ends in a cliffhanger so be warned! Enjoy!**

**Shoutout to PushingLeePace'sDaisies. I hope this brightens up your day.**

**PS thanks for all the reviews! I love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 5:

"It's good," Merry was saying. "Definitely from the Shire." Pippin laughed in agreement and Merry blew out another smoke ring. "Longbottom Leaf." I smiled and shook my head.

"That's horrible for you, you know?" I told him. He shrugged and continued to smoke. I rolled my eyes.

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon," Pippin said as he took another swing of ale. Merry made a noise in agreement and took a bite of bread.

"Green dragon." He repeated.

"A mug of ale in my hand," Pippin continued, raising his cup. "Putting my feet up on a settle after a hard day's work." He raised his legs to demonstrate.

"Only, you've never done a hard day's work." Merry interjected. Pippin agreed with a nod of his head and we all burst out laughing.

I heard a horse neigh and I turned to look at the forest. A figure emerged. A man dressed completely in white. His hair was white and so was his beard but he didn't seem old to me. Not really. He was almost regal looking as he sat high up on a horse that was just as majestic as its rider. He had a soft glow about him and I knew right away that he was a wizard. Pippin and Merry saw him as well and raised their mugs in greeting.

"Ha ha!" Pippin shouted. More figures were behind the wizard but I kept my eyes on him. Merry and Pippin seemed to be comfortable around them but I wasn't taking any chances. I stayed quiet and didn't move. I was sitting a little off to the side so most of the company wouldn't see me right away.

"Welcome my lords," Merry announced grandly, gesturing at the land around us with his wide spread arms. He then pointed at the tower. "To Isengard!"

"You, young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on and now we find you feasting and...and smoking!" called out a gruff voice. I didn't look to see who had spoken.

The wizard was more interesting. There was something about him...He wasn't like Saruman. I didn't mean in the fact that this one clearly wasn't evil. There was something else. I gazed at him, trying to figure it out. It was something about the way he carried himself, the look on his face.

Suddenly, realization hit me. It was the look of someone who had stared death in the face and pulled through. This man had _died_ and yet, here he was. I don't know how I knew this but I knew it was true.

"We are sitting on a field of victory enjoying a few well-earned comforts." Pippin told whoever had spoken, smugly. "The salted pork is particularly good." I smiled but was careful not to move, lest they'd notice me.

"Salted pork?" the gruff voice asked, somewhat hopefully.

The wizard shook his head and muttered, "Hobbits."  
>"We are under orders from Treebeard," Merry went on, ignoring the white rider. "Who's taken over management of Isengard." The wizard allowed himself to smile.<p>

"The Ents are the true kings of the forest," he said. "And no one should get in their way."

"How did you do it?" another voice asked. I tore my eyes away from the white rider to see a handsome man with long blonde hair and a bit of a beard. He was gazing at the Hobbits in wonder.

"Well after they decided not to go to war, Pippin had the brilliant idea of leading Treebeard past Isengard so he could see all the damage for himself." Merry said proudly, putting an arm around Pippin and squeezing. Pippin looked pleased with himself. "After that, it was easy."

"And it worked?" the same man said. It sounded like a question but seemed like a statement. The Hobbits nodded. Then they seemed to remember I was there as well.

"Oh!" Pippin exclaimed. "This is Estrella, we met her on the way." He gestured in my direction and everyone's eyes turned to look at me.

"That's Gandalf," he pointed at the wizard. Gandalf looked at me without much emotion or expression. To most it would've been intimidating but I held his gaze, even if I was a little nervous.

"This is Aragorn." Aragorn was a good looking, if not a bit scruffy, man with dark hair and a weathered face. He seemed to be sizing me up.

"These are..." Pippin trailed off, clearly having never met the blonde man and the other, older, blonde man. There was also another reddish blonde man in the back but he seemed to be a guard.

"I am Theoden, son of Thengel, King of Rohan." The older one said with a nod. "And this is my nephew, Eomer." Eomer also tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"This is Gimli," Pippin pointed at a redheaded dwarf sitting on the back of a horse. There was someone in front of him but Gandalf was blocking my view of their face. I guessed that the dwarf had probably been the one to speak before.

Just then Gandalf moved and my eyes widened. It was him. He looked as startled as I when we made eye contact. He was even more beautiful than in my dream.

"And this is Legolas."

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean so much! Sorry it's short but I wanted to get an update in before the end of the week and I had a bit of writer's block. Tell me what you think! Reviews mean new chapters!**

**~Liliana**


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are great!**

**To address what Anonymous asked ("is the story going to be entirely in Estrella first-person point of view or are we going to hear some of Legolas' thoughts as well?"), I'm not sure yet. I make all this up as I go so I know as much as you do. Sorry about the not-so-great answer. If I do change the POV, I'll warn you guys first.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings**

Chapter 6:

I stared at Legolas for a moment, not able to comprehend what I was seeing. He seemed to be feeling the same confusion, judging by his expression. A million emotions and thoughts whirled through my mind and I had to keep from running up to him and throwing my arms around him. Everyone looked between us.

"Do you know each other?" Pippin asked hesitantly, snapping me back to reality.

"I do not think so," Legolas answered for me.

I felt like crying; he did not know me. Perhaps he did not have the same dream as I. He looked at me again.

"I cannot recall meeting you," he paused. "Although I feel as if I know you."

My heart skipped a beat. So, not all hope is lost, I told myself. There is a chance for me yet.

He manoeuvred his horse closer and dismounted it gracefully, only to leap onto the section of wall where the Hobbit's and I were standing. Before I knew it he was right in front of me, staring into my eyes. I felt as if he could see into my soul and mind. His proximity made me blush and it took all the willpower I had not to either kiss him or turn away. He raised his hand to my face and touched my cheek.

"You are from a fragment of a memory," he moved towards me, as if seeing me closer would help him remember. "Or maybe you've wandered from a dream," he whispered, seeming to forget about everyone else for a moment. He lifted my chin, as if to see me better.

My breath hitched in my throat and I found myself unable to move, unable to do anything other than stare at him in all his glory. He was intoxicating, all of him; his deep searching eyes, his gorgeous blonde hair, his perfect skin. Everything down to the way his mouth formed words or even how he smelled. He had me entranced and I wouldn't be able to back away even if my life depended on it.

"Legolas!" called a voice and we both remembered that we were surrounded by other people.

He looked a little embarrassed as he slowly removed his hand from my face, pausing for a moment to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. My embarrassment compared to his was much more obvious, my face taking on a deep shade of scarlet.

It was Gandalf who had spoken, everyone else seeming to be in some form of shock. I guess it was odd for an elf to act in that fashion.

Legolas was an elf, I knew that now. I had thought so in my dream and I had confirmed it by seeing his ears. This place is strange, I thought, wizards, dwarves, Ents, Hobbits, Orcs and elves; how odd. I looked over at Legolas. A good sort of odd though, I decided, a very good sort of odd.

"We need to see Saruman," Gandalf announced once Legolas had returned to his horse. "Each of you," he pointed at Merry, Pippin and I, "need to choose someone to ride with. Choose quickly."

Pippin immediately chose Aragorn, leaving Merry and I feeling awkward. We each had to ride with someone we didn't know. We both knew Gandalf and the King should have horses to themselves.

"Which would you prefer?" Merry asked me quietly, referring to the guard or the King's nephew. I suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards the Hobbit.

"Eomer," I whispered back without hesitation.

Older men, such as the King or the guard, made me uncomfortable. It wasn't as if Theoden or the other guy had ever done anything to me personally but I just had a bad feeling about men who looked to be in their 50s or more. I guess there was probably some story behind the feeling but the memory kept slipping out of my grasp so I let it go.

"Of course you'd choose the young handsome one," Merry joked. I swatted him lightly on the shoulder. "Though you already seem to have Legolas in some sort of trance so I don't know why you'd need two." I made to hit him again but he leapt away, laughing and jumped onto the back of the guard's horse.

The guard introduced himself but I didn't hear his name as my eye caught Legolas's. The laughter in his gaze told me he had heard what Merry had said. There was something else there too, I just wasn't sure what. I broke eye contact and looked at Eomer.

"May I ride with you?" I asked shyly.

He nodded and smiled kindly and I immediately felt at ease. He waited until I was close enough before reaching out and picking me up by the waist, placing me in front of him. I blushed as he continued to hold onto my waist until I was in the correct position. Then he placed his arms around me so he was able to take the reins.

"You could've placed her behind you," a voice commented. I turned my head to see Legolas. There was an emotion I did not quite recognize in his eyes and it passed before I could identify it. "And you did not need to take a hold of her waist."

"No I did not," Eomer agreed. "But she would've had a much harder time getting onto the horse without me doing so. As for why I put her in front of me, the answer is simple. She looks tired and in dire need of some rest. If I am not mistaken, we will be leaving as soon as we are finished with Saruman and I do not intend to let her fall off the horse because of her lack of sleep. She can rest much more safely in front of me."

I gazed up at Eomer in awe, amazed that he had thought of that. I decided that I liked him. He seemed to be caring and good natured and it was a good idea to stick to people like that in a world where I knew barely 15 people's names.

Legolas tilted his head in acknowledgement to Eomer's answer before turning and riding after Gandalf.

"Thank you," I said quietly to Eomer as we followed as well. He looked down at me as if surprised.

"I only did what any respectable man should." He told me. He paused for a moment. "Well, taking a hold of your waist was may not be proper but it was necessary."

"Well most of the men I know wouldn't even think of that." I informed him. "And I don't mind." I said, directing that comment at the one he had made about touching my waist.

"Are there not many respectable men where you come from?" he inquired curiously.

"No," I replied. "There are not."

* * *

><p>Gandalf's conversation with Saruman was brief. I did not understand most of what was being said, though I did understand the part where Saruman told us we were all going to die. Gandalf kept talking about some enemy and Saruman kept on being a jerk, even throwing fire at Gandalf at one point. Gandalf did something to make the other wizard's staff break and Saruman showed us a dark crystal ball. The ugly man I had seen before was up on the top of the tower with Saruman and Theoden addressed him a few times before Saruman hit him. This made the man angry and he stabbed Saruman to which Legolas retaliated by shooting him. After all that happened Pippin picked up the dark crystal ball and I could've sworn I'd seen a fiery eye in it before Gandalf covered it with his cloak.<p>

"Where to now?" I asked Eomer as we rode away from Isengard.

"We are going to Rohan." He told me. He gazed at me, looking a little concerned. "It will take a few hours at the least. Get some rest." I was about to disagree but I yawned instead. He laughed. "Don't worry; I won't let you fall off."

I had hardly heard him finish the sentence before I began drifting off, apparently much more tired that I had originally thought I was. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was the feel of Eomer's chest rising and falling with his breath as I leaned into it.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot to me and also it would mean another chapter for you! I'm going to start another chapter tonight so you'll be getting another update sooner than usual. It could be tomorrow or the next day (or maybe not...I'm busy too)! I'm over my writers block, yay! Also I would just like to mention that this story is Legolas/OC, not Eomer/OC if you had any doubts after this chapter. Anyways, tell me what you think!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	8. Chapter 7

**New chapter, yay! Enjoy and thanks for the 55 reviews! I love you all! Sorry if Eomer is a little OOC and sorry if the Golden Hall isn't accurate. I'm pretty sure I made up some of it...sorry! The chapter ends at a somewhat odd place but I wanted to post it tonight and I didn't have time to write more. Forgive me! At least Estrella is described in this chapter! Now, without further ado, onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 7:

I woke up to a light shake off my shoulder.

"What?" I asked groggily, without opening my eyes, instead nestling my head deeper into the warm thing that I was leaning against. I heard an amused chuckle.

"My Lady, wake up." A soft voice said, close to my ear. "We need to get off the horse."

"No," I told the voice, willing it to go away. I still hadn't opened my eyes. The voice laughed again.

"Merry and Pippin are in danger." He tried. I waved my hand dismissively.

"They can fend for themselves." I replied, trying to fall back asleep. I had been having such a nice dream. I feared that if I opened my eyes, it would be lost.

"Hey!" I heard a small voice shout. I could practically feel whoever was talking to me grinning.

"Alright, you leave me no choice." The voice said seriously.

I yelped as I felt myself being lifted up. My eyes snapped open to stare at someone's back. I had been thrown over Eomer's shoulder. I kicked and shouted at him to let me go as he dismounted but to no avail. He handed the reins to someone I couldn't see, while still holding onto me.

"Eomer!" I whined. He laughed at my dismay and I couldn't help but join in.

"Ask nicely," he commanded.

"Fine! Will you please let me down?" I asked between giggles.

"Alright," he agreed before placing me on the ground and giving me a cheeky smile. I stuck out my tongue at him causing him to laugh once more. I glared at him.

"Meanie," I said.

"Meanie?" he repeated. "I've never heard that before." He said it so sincerely that I did not doubt him for a moment. "It sounds like something a child might say."

"Are you calling me a child?" I demanded.

"I might be." He replied. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a death stare. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Why'd you wake me up?" I asked.

"We're here." He told me, seeming to be glad I'd changed the subject.

He gestured around and I noticed for the first time that there were people watching us, including the company we had travelled with. Legolas's eyes narrowed at the two of us and I turned away quickly, deciding to examine my surroundings instead of having to feel his unwavering gaze upon me.

We were in what seemed to be a rural town with houses made of stone and wood, thatched roofs completing the look. I gazed up to the top of the hill where there was a larger building that looked to be a hall of some sort. At first I thought it looked like some kind of large barn or something but as we got closer I noticed the gold details and the flags waving in the wind outside

"Welcome to the Golden Hall of Edoras," Theoden announced proudly as we walked in.

The hall was much more impressive on the inside, in my opinion. There was a throne at the end of it covered in furs and great pillars of wood and gold that held the structure up. There were a few tables scattered around and a large cauldron in the middle in the room. I could see multiple entrances which I guess led off to separate rooms.

"Eomer! My King! My lord, you have returned!" a female voice called. I turned to look at who had spoken and I immediately felt jealous.

She was a beautiful woman with long golden hair that fell to her waist in waves. Her skin was pale and perfect and her grey eyes made me feel as if I was inferior especially as I caught sight of my reflection in a mirror that had been moved out into the hall for whatever reason. She ran to hug Eomer, Theoden and Aragorn, though he seemed a little shocked at that and she pulled herself away quickly, seeming embarrassed.

I paid them no mind as gazed at myself, not remembering what I looked like. It's odd to see yourself for the first time. A bit surreal, really.

I was beautiful, I guess, but certainly not "as beautiful as the night sky" as Pippin had said. I guess he had suggested Star due to my thick blonde hair. It reached to about my mid back and wasn't really anything special. It wasn't straight but it did not form the perfect waves that the other woman possessed either. It tended to be a bit on the darker side, I noticed, depending on how the light hit it and it was cut in a layered style. As for the rest of me, I wasn't fantastic in the other aspects of my appearance either. My skin was a regular tone and my body wasn't anything particularly amazing. I was fit enough to be thin, which was good but other than that there wasn't anything too great about my form. I was average height and my chest and hips weren't too large or too small. My lips were a regular shade of pink and not especially full or thin. All in all, I was pretty average, maybe slightly more on the pretty side. Or maybe I was gorgeous and I just judged myself too harshly; I don't know.

I moved closer to mirror to look at my eyes, the only thing that seemed to be actually unique. They were an odd shade that I hadn't really seen before. They weren't blue or grey but rather something in between, with a hint of green. The closer I got to the mirror the more obvious the brown and yellow specks in them were. How strange.

"You act as if you've never seen yourself before," I heard someone say. I turned to look at Legolas who was regarding me with something akin to curiosity. Everyone else was occupied with other things so our conversation was somewhat private.

"I haven't," I told him as I turned back to the mirror.

"You've never seen your own reflection?" Legolas asked in a disbelieving tone as he approached me. I shook my head as I watched him carefully in the mirror. "How can that be?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

He was looking at me oddly again and I wanted him to stop. He had finally stopped moving, now right behind me. He seemed to be about to say something when Gandalf called us all to a table. I went quickly, relieved to be away from Legolas. I wanted to be around him, of course, but he also made me nervous and I didn't want to say anything I would regret.

Theoden had told the guards to leave and asked the pretty lady, whom he called Eowyn, to leave as well, so I knew it was serious. Gandalf was watching me and I stared right back at him, too stubborn to be the first to yield.

"There is to be a celebration tonight," he announced, taking his gaze off me. "But before that we need to discuss the important matter at hand. Estella." I was a little confused but I assumed he wanted to know where I came from and all that. They wouldn't like it when I told them that I had about the same amount knowledge as they did on the matter. "How did you meet her, Merry and Pippin?"

Merry and Pippin launched into the tale of what had happened when I had showed up. I stayed silent the whole time, just listening like everyone else. From time to time someone would glance my way and the attention made me feel a bit uncomfortable, especially when it was Legolas. It felt the most bearable when it was Eomer. I wasn't sure what it was about him but I felt as if I could trust him, be friends with him. Earlier I hadn't pegged him as the sort of guy who would joke around with you but the way he woke me up changed my opinion of him. I felt as if he didn't show that side of him often, always having to be the duty-driven solider with no time for fun.

Finally Merry and Pippin finished their story and everyone turned their eyes to me once again.

"Where did you come from, lass?" Gimli asked, in what I suppose was his kind tone.

"I don't know," I answered simply.

"You don't know?" Aragorn asked, clearly not believing me.

"I don't know," I repeated. I didn't know what else to say. I glanced around. "It wasn't anything like this place though."

"Is it that you do not know or you just can't remember?" Legolas asked. I stared at him before shrugging.

"Both?" I shrunk back a bit.

"I do not believe her." Gimli decided, his 'kind tone' gone. "I don't trust her. She's a spy!"

"No! I'm not!" I held up my hands as if to show him I meant no harm. "I promise!"

"Promises don't mean much when you're you work for the Enemy!" he advanced towards me and I backed away.

"I'm not lying!" I said desperately, eyeing his large axe. "I'm a horrible liar! And if this enemy of yours had sent me as a spy, I would've had a much better story than just 'I don't remember'."

"She makes a good point." Pippin said from the back, clearly trying to protect me. Have I mentioned how much I love Hobbits?

"The Enemy could've sent you with this story so we would trust you. It's just mad enough to sound true." Aragorn reasoned.

"Please," I said. "You need to believe me."

"Gimli, stop," Legolas said quietly. Gimli kept moving towards me. "Gimli! Stop!" Everyone looked shocked at the sound of his raised voice. His expression was devoid of emotion as he said, "I believe her." before he left, causing us all to stare after him.

"What was that about?" I heard Pippin whisper to Merry.

"Who knows?" Merry responded, looking just as shocked as the others. Eomer laughed and walked over to me.

"Estrella, what have you done to the poor elf?" he asked. I just looked in the direction Legolas had went, bewildered.

"I have no idea."

* * *

><p>Eventually Gandalf decided that I was being truthful and that I had been sent to Merry and Pippin for a reason. I almost laughed aloud at that one. I had been sent for a reason but not one that included any of the other members of the group, save Legolas. Again, I felt as if they weren't telling me something but I let it slide, knowing that them even trusting me at all was hard. I wasn't going to push it.<p>

The party started with the King doing some kind of toast. It sounded like some great battle had happened and many men had been lost. I bowed my head but did not drink. Ale and the like were disgusting and as much as I was sorry to the families and friends who had lost people, I wasn't about to start drinking that stuff to show respect.

I made my way over to Eomer who was definitely my closest friend of the group other than Merry and Pippin who were off dancing on a table and singing about a pub.

"So it's a drinking game," I heard Legolas say. He and Gimli stood before Eomer who was passing out drinks.

"Last one standing wins!" Gimli said before grinning at Legolas and starting to drink. I made a small noise of disgust which caused Legolas to notice me. His mood changed immediately from doubt to cold determination and he quickly grabbed a mug and began to drink. I wondered what I had done to inspire such a change in him. I hadn't meant to. He kept drinking, mug after mug while Gimli said drunken things in the background, until he looked down at his fingers in surprise.

"I feel something," he said, in a voice that was so innocent and sweet, I almost sighed aloud. "A slight tingle in my fingers." He looked at Eomer. "I think it's affecting me."

I couldn't help but laugh, Eomer joining in. Legolas narrowed his eyes at me once more which caused me to sober a bit but left me still giggling.

"What did I say?" Gimli's words were all slurred together and he was completely hammered. "He can't hold his liquor." And with that he promptly fell over. I laughed again and Legolas just stared at me for a moment an expression that would've seemed like something of awe, if I hadn't known better. He quickly snapped out if it at the sound of Gimli's body hitting the floor.

"Game over," he commented, looking slightly smug. He glanced at me and there was nothing I wanted to do more then go over to him and pull his lips down to meet mine. I pursed my lips, trying to make that want go away but it only got stronger. We were staring at each other again, something that we, apparently, had down to an art by now. Eomer looked between us.

"I'll just leave you two be..." he said, beginning to turn away.

"No!" Legolas's voice was cold once more, his expression passive and empty. "I was just leaving."

Eomer and I watched him go and I felt sadness creep into my heart.

"What did you do now?" Eomer asked. I shrugged hopelessly.

"I don't know!" Eomer just shook his head at my response.

"Well something about you is putting him off." Eomer told me.

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

"Glad I could help," Eomer said with a grin. I laughed.

"I am apparently very bad at staying mad at you," I commented. Eomer smiled.

"Good."

**Love it? Hate it? Please review and tell me what you think! Reviews mean new chapters for you! I would just like to explain this whole Eomer thing going on. The idea is that they'll become good friends fast and he will act the same way he used to/does act around Eowyn with her. NO ROMANTIC INTENTIONS! Sorry again if Eomer is too OOC!**

**Anyways, tell me what you think!**

**~Liliana**


	9. Chapter 8

**Wow! Another chapter for my wonderful readers! Thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe I'm already at 64 reviews! Thank you all so much! I love you all 3**

**In this chapter we get some of Legolas's POV (even though it's in third person) Anonymous, this is for you!**

**WARNING: There are also things that are a bit darker and more adult in this chapter, so read at your own risk. Nothing too graphic but enough so you can understand what's happening.**

**NOTE: _The italics are a memory. Sorry if it's confusing._**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 8:

"I'm going to go find Merry and Pippin." I told Eomer after having a long conversation with him.

We had had to stand close together to hear each other above the noise and at one point I saw Legolas glaring at us. It was as if I wasn't allowed to be around Eomer, or maybe Eomer wasn't allowed to be around me. His constant looks were bothering me and in that moment, I decided he could deal with whatever anger he was feeling for me on his own time. I stepped closer to Eomer, showing Legolas that he didn't own me. He turned away and didn't look back at us for the rest of the celebration.

"Alright," Eomer said, looking a little disappointed. "I should try and find Eowyn anyways."

"See you later," I told him. He looked a little confused at the way I said goodbye but he accepted it nonetheless.

As I walked away, I glanced around the room. I spotted Legolas as I moved through the crowd and suddenly I couldn't breathe and the room seemed too small. The smell of liquor was too prominent and there were too many people. I needed to get out. I changed my direction to leave the room and only breathed normally again once I was outside. I held my sides and leaned against the wall, breathing deeply and wondering what had inspired the almost panic attack.

A few moments later a man stumbled out. He was maybe 50 years old and I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. He spotted me and moved towards me, a drunken smile on his face. I moved away, my back hitting the wall.

"Hello," he said, standing too close for comfort. "What's your name?" his words were slurred and the smell of ale was distinct on his breath. I turned my head.

"That's really not any of your business." I said.

"Oh really?" he was touching my face now, moving my hair to see me better. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling extreme fear. The panic was back and worse than before. My breathing was shallow and I felt as if I didn't have enough space. A memory broke the surface.

"_Aren't you a pretty young thing?"_

"You're beautiful," the man whispered, putting his face close to mine. I let out a bit of a whimper.

"_Come here," I didn't respond. "Come here!"_

He grabbed my waist and pulled me to him.

"Leave me alone!" I tried to get away but his grip was tight.

_I felt his hand between my legs._

"_Stop," I whimpered. "I want you to stop."_

_All I heard was a laugh._

"You're going to be mine, tonight." The drunken man whispered in my ear. I felt hot tears on my cheek.

"_You're mine."_

He pulled me into a rough kiss I couldn't escape from. His lips tasted of liquor and there was only lust in the kiss. He pushed his tongue into my mouth. More tears spilled over and down my cheeks.

_He was touching my chest now. _

"_Stop!" I said. "Please!"_

I needed to get away. My memory was mixing with reality and I couldn't deal with either. The man broke the kiss and I took my chance.

"Help!" I screamed.

"Shut up wench!" the man said, striking me across the face. The pain that I felt was much better compared to what had been happening before.

The man advanced towards me and grabbed me again.

"You're going to be a good girl and do everything I say." He told me, his face again too close. I tried to push him away but he was too strong.

His hands were on my bottom now.

_He was touching me everywhere._

My head hurt. I couldn't breathe. I was terrified.

Suddenly I saw a hand reach out and punch the man in the face. He fell to the ground unconscious and I could breathe once more, though it came out in shallow gasps. I was sobbing and hugging my chest. I backed away from the dark figure that was now coming towards me. My back was touching the wall again and my eyes were closed. I whimpered as I felt hands grip my shoulders.

"Estrella," came a soothing voice. "Estrella! It's alright!" I opened my eyes to see Legolas holding my arms.

I collapsed in relief and sobbed into his arms. He just held me, waiting until I calmed down, his hand stroking my hair.

"It's alright," he whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I eventually managed to get my breathing under control. I hated that I had had such a moment of weakness. The experience itself wasn't too horrible if I hadn't linked it with memories. I now knew why men over 50 frightened me. I guess being molested by someone of that age does that to you. I pushed the thought away and focused on Legolas.

"Can you walk?" he asked. I felt too weak to do anything at that moment so I shook my head.

"I don't think I can," I managed to get out. He nodded and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up bridal style. I blushed slightly but leaned into him without meaning to.

"I'm going to take you somewhere to rest," he informed me, not looking down at me.

He brought me back inside. I buried my face into his chest, unable to look at anyone. I heard him talking to Eomer who was asking what happened. Legolas explained quietly and asked if I could have Eowyn's room for the night. Eomer agreed without any persuasion and told him to get me out of the main hall as soon as possible after giving him directions to the room. I felt a hand on my hair and I looked up to see Eomer.

"Are you alright?" the concern in his eyes and voice was evident. I managed a small nod and he removed his hand from my head and let us leave. Once we left the main hall we went down a corridor and into a room. Legolas placed me on the bed and hesitated for a moment before turning to leave.

"Stay!" I heard my own voice say but I couldn't remember actually forming the words. My hand had gripped his wrist and was holding him in place. He looked at me curiously. "Please. Don't leave."

His gaze softened and he nodded. I tugged at his wrist a bit and pulled him onto the bed. He seemed slightly surprised but he didn't object, just sat stiffly on his side. I let go of his wrist and turned my back to him, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Legolas's POV:

This girl confused him. She made him feel emotions he never had before, such as jealousy. He might as well admit it. He resented the time she spent with Eomer, the way she smiled at him and joked with such ease. He wasn't sure why but he knew the feeling was there. She also made him angry. Angry at himself for reacting so strongly to her when he was usually so indifferent to everyone. Angry that she could have such an effect on him even though he barely knew her. And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was somewhat in awe of her. He found himself wondering about what was going on inside her head, her thoughts. His eyes were constantly drawn to her and he felt the need to gain her approval, which is probably why he had been so determined to win the drinking contest. He also sometimes forgot what he was doing for a moment or where he was when he saw her or heard her rich laugh like he had earlier.

He heard a soft sigh and Estrella turned towards him, her golden hair falling over her face. He had the strange urge to reach out and move it away from her cheek but he stopped himself, instead deciding to lie down next to her fully, as to see her better.

To his surprise she leaned into him and nuzzled her face into his neck, her breath against his collarbone. He couldn't move and for a moment he forgot how to breathe. Eventually he managed to calm himself down and relax, getting used to having her body so close to his. That is, until she moved her head slightly and her lips grazed a tender spot on his neck. He inhaled sharply, wondering at the strange feeling that had shot through him. Luckily she did not wake up at the noise and once more he was able to relax.

She was unlike the women he knew. She had a mysterious air that was not practiced or something she strived for. She seemed completely unaware of it, which just made him want to know more. She was beautiful but not like the elf maidens he had met. They were obviously gorgeous but this girl had a quieter sort of beauty. One that made you want to know her for her, not for her looks. She seemed intelligent and he could see the humor in her eyes that made her get along so well with Merry and Pippin. She was also kind and caring as and far as he could see, she was a fighter. He didn't know if she could actually swing a sword or shoot an arrow but her attitude was stubborn without being rude or selfish.

He stared at her, lying so peacefully next to him. You would've never been able to guess the ordeal she had gone through earlier by the look of serenity on her face. He had guessed that there had been something more going on than just a man making horrific advancements on her but he wasn't about to push her after that. She would tell him if and when she was ready.

Just then a yell brought him out of his thoughts, causing Estrella's eyes to snap open and both of them to shoot up. They looked at each other.

"Merry," they both said before rushing out of the room.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think! I would love to hear it and reviews mean more chapters for you! Do you like it? Did I do Legolas's point of view alright? Is it moving along well enough? Tell me your thoughts! Also we learned that Estrella was molested as a child, which might make her a bit uncomfortable around men. Anyways, thoughts?**

**~Liliana**


	10. Chapter 9

**Another update! This is super short but ends in a cliffhanger (sorry not sorry). The next chapter will be longer though, I promise. Thanks for all the reviews! I love each and every one of them and each and every one of my readers. You guys are fantastic!**

**This is Legolas's POV again! Yay! (I'm glad you liked it the first time Anonymous)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 9:

Legolas's POV:

They ran towards the room that the shout had come from and threw the door back.

It was complete chaos. Pippin was having convulsions on the floor while holding the Orthanc stone which seemed to be on fire. Merry was shouting. Gandalf woke up at the same time that Aragorn burst through the door.

"Pippin!" Estrella screamed. She would've ran to where he was if Legolas had not held her back. "Aragorn! Gandalf! Do something!"

Legolas wondered why she specifically placed her faith in the both of them. She knew Gandalf was a wizard so that was the obvious choice but no one had told her about Aragorn being the heir to the throne of Gondor. No one had told her that he was the strongest of their company and perhaps the most important.

Without hesitation Aragorn took the stone from Pippin, who, without it, lay still. Estrella rushed to his side.

"He's not breathing!" she said, fear in her voice as she looked at the little Hobbit. There was a shout from Aragorn, whose hands seemed to be glued to the stone. Estrella looked at him and then back at Pippin, apparently making some sort of decision. "Gandalf!" she shouted. "Take care of Pippin!" She then ran to Aragorn's side and wrenched the ball from his hands.

Pain overcame her features and Legolas moved forward to help her but Gandalf held his wrist. She stared stubbornly into the ball. She held it longer than Aragorn or Pippin, looking into it voluntarily, unlike the others who had seemed forced to gaze upon it while holding it.

Legolas could not bear to see her that way so he turned his head to look at Gandalf. He was holding Pippin's hand and muttering some spell. Pippin woke up suddenly and began to whimper.

"I'm sorry," he said, not looking Gandalf in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"You fool!"Gandalf sounded like he wanted to strike the poor Hobbit. "I'll deal with you later."

Gandalf turned his gaze back to Estrella, and Legolas followed his lead, as the stone started to smoke in her hands. She screamed and there was the smell of flesh burning. Legolas made towards her again but this time Aragorn used all his strength to hold him back.

"No Legolas!" he warned. "It is a path she has chosen! Let it play out as it may." Legolas turned and glared at him with such anger that Aragorn took a surprised step backwards. Legolas wrenched himself from his grip and continued to watch. The stone grew brighter and brighter until it exploded.

Everyone braced themselves for impact as glass shards flew everywhere. One by one everyone peaked out from behind their arms or whatever else they had used to protect themselves.

Estrella stood there in what seemed to be a state of shock, hands burned and cuts all over her arms and face. Her eyes seemed unfocused.

"Estrella!" Merry said, running up to her. "Are you alright?"

"Merry? Is that you?" she asked, looking at the direction the voice had come from but not looking directly at Merry. Legolas frowned slightly. Something was wrong.

"Estrella." He said. Her head whipped around to look at him but she wasn't really seeing.

"Legolas," she said softly, worry lacing her tone. "I can't see."

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you think! I know its super short but I wanted that to be the cliffhanger. The next chapter will be longer. Reviews mean more chapters!**

**~Liliana**


	11. Chapter 10

**88 reviews! Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much, I never thought I would have even 30 reviews on one of my stories! You guys are amazing. I dedicate this chapter to all of you  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 10:

Legolas's POV:

They had gathered in the hall again, all the tables having been cleared away. Legolas was holding onto Estrella's arm as to guide her for she could not see. Her eyes had had almost all the colour drained from them and to someone standing close to her it was obvious that she was blind. Legolas was worried about what Sauron had done to her. Being blind was bad enough but he had probably done something to her mind as well. She hadn't spoken a word since she told them that she could not see.

"What did you see Pippin?" Gandalf was asking the poor Hobbit.

"A tree," Pippin told them, though the memory seemed to bring him pain. "There was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead." A look of realization passed over Gandalf's features. "The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?" Gandalf asked.

"I saw," Pippin seemed scared out of his wits. "I saw him!" Aragorn and Legolas exchanged worried glances. "I could hear his voice in my head."

"And what did you tell him?" Gandalf's tone was urgent. "Speak!"

"He asked me my name," Pippin whispered. "I didn't answer. He hurt me."

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf asked, remembering too late that Estrella was there as well and she was not supposed to know about the quest. Pippin gazed at him.

"Nothing." Gandalf sighed in relief.

"There is no lie in Pippin's eyes," He announced. "A fool; but an honest fool he remains." He then turned to Estrella, knowing that Aragorn would never reveal something to the Enemy. "What did you see?" he asked Estrella. She turned her head in the direction of his voice.

"There was nothing at first." She said. "Only darkness. Then there was a giant eye made of flame that did not blink. It stared at me and a powerful voice spoke to me in my head. He asked me who I was. I didn't say anything. He asked me where I come from. I, again, didn't respond. He wanted to know why he had not seen me before. He asked me if I knew you all." She waved her hand around, indicating that she was speaking about the company. "I said no. He showed me images...images of you al l being tortured. He burned them into my mind but I held my ground. After that he tried a new method, he showed me what I wanted most in the world," for whatever reason she blushed when she said that. "and he said that I could have that if I just cooperated. I lied and said that that was not what I wanted. He became frustrated and he burned my hands and I still did not tell him anything. He asked me about a ring and I told him I knew nothing of it. He attempted to hurt me more, to look into my mind but for whatever reason he could not. Realizing that I pushed him away with my mind until the ball exploded. The last thing I saw was the eye and after that everything was dark. I could hear voices though; your voices but I realized that I could no longer see. That's it. That's the whole story."

Everyone stared at her in wonder. She had resisted temptation and torture to save people she barely knew. Her mind alone had been stronger than Sauron's. Even the minds of elves wouldn't have been able to do what she had done. They would've withstood torture but they wouldn't have been able to push him out completely. They would've been able to keep him at bay but not gotten rid of him entirely.

"I promise that this is the truth," Estrella said, probably assuming that their silence was because they doubted her.

"I believe her," Legolas quickly added, not sure why he felt the need to say that but knowing that he did. Aragorn looked at him a bit oddly but he nodded.

"So do I."

"As do I," Eomer said. He had joined them in the hall, along with the King. Legolas felt that odd sort of resentment rising again but he pushed it down.

"So do we!" Pippin added, referring to Merry and himself. Estrella smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Calm down all of you."Gandalf said. "I believe her as well." Legolas felt relief settle over him and he found himself gripping Estrella's arm tighter. He immediately loosened his hold on her. "We have been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the planatir a glimpse of the Enemy's plan and Estrella made it so that no one would ever feel the urge to hold it again." A small smile graced Gandalf's lips before he became serious once more. "Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still, strength enough perhaps to challenge him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a king return to the throne of men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me, why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours?" Theoden asked. "What do we owe Gondor?" To everyone's surprise, it was Estrella who answered. She looked angry as she turned on him.

"Because if you do not you are giving him exactly what he wants!" she said. "I may have no idea what's happening but I've seen this enemy of yours and he will not hesitate to destroy you all! You need to work together! That is the only way you will win this war!" Theoden looked taken aback by the way she addressed him.

"What would you know of war? What would a girl who cannot even remember her own name, know about the pain that comes with it?" Theoden asked. "You know nothing of suffering. You would have us charge blindly ahead to a massacre."

"You insolent man!" She spat. "It is you who doesn't know anything. I may be blind but I can see more clearly than you. It will be a massacre whether you ride to war with Gondor or not! You can either die here, a coward or there, a brave man; your choice. Staying here results in certain death, going to Gondor's aid gives you a chance." Legolas stared at her, unable to do much else. Was she aware that she was speaking to a king in that manner? "As for suffering and pain, well I've had my fair share of that. I may never have gone to war but in some ways what I've been through is worse. At least you can die quickly in war. At least you know it was for a cause. It's not tortuous. It doesn't eat you up inside like the pain I've experienced."

"You've been through worse than war?" Theoden laughed. "Oh yes, a woman such as yourself has probably suffered in ways we can't possibly even imagine, us foolish males." He said sarcastically.

"At least women don't try to rape men!" she shouted. The room became deathly quiet and Theoden had a look of shock on his face. She laughed spitefully. "That's the sort of suffering I've experienced. That's what happened a few hours ago. I went outside and a man forced himself upon me. Luckily Legolas managed to stop him before he did anything too vile but that didn't stop old memories from resurfacing. The experience itself would've been easy to move on from if my uncle hadn't done the same thing to me as a child, only worse." Everyone could only stare in horror as she spoke. Legolas's mind was working a mile a minute. What sort of foul man would force himself upon a child? His own niece! It made him feel sick. "So no, I don't have the same sort of pain you do. No, I haven't been in a real battle but sometimes, a battle inside is harder to deal with. Do you have any idea what it's like to be completely helpless? There was nothing I could do to stop him. Nothing. I couldn't tell anyone either because who would they believe? The adult or the child? Instead I suffered in silence for years as he did what he wanted to me. I only recently escaped from him but I never really escaped. It's always in the back of my mind. It's always going to haunt me, make me feel worthless, eat me from the inside out. I'm always going to have to live with the fear that someone will do it again. I'm always going to be scared of men his age and I'll never be able to defend myself should the situation arise again like it did last night, because I'll be too busy panicking. You've never felt anything like that before. Maybe I've never seen war but don't pretend that I haven't had my own problems that have ruined me. Don't tell me that I don't know what pain is." After a moment of silence Theoden spoke, his voice sounding small.

"If the beacons are lit, we will ride to Gondor's aid."

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you think! Reviews mean more chapters for all you wonderful people. Virtual chocolate to anyone who can guess the thing she wants most in the world correctly.**

**Thanks!**

**~Liliana**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long for an update! I've had a really busy week and I have writer's block on all my stories right now so this is sort of a filler chapter. It isn't too well written but I thought y'all deserved an update. Thanks for the 101 reviews! I can't tell you how much it means to me! I always thought that the most reviews I would get would be around 20! I never thought I would even get close to this amount of reviews! Thank you all!**

**This chapter is dedicated to DinorahR31 whose review almost made me cry (sorry this chapter isn't very good).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 11:

Being blind really sucks. I mean, you are plunged into darkness all the time and the only time you can see is in dreams. It's really horrible. It did give me an advantage however. My other senses were ten times better. I could hear the smallest step, feel the tiniest vibration, taste the individual grains of bread on my tongue and smell the littlest odors. It was like I had been asleep all my life and now I was finally awake.

Still, as I said before, being blind was not fun. People constantly had to escort me places and I was a burden to everyone. I could also tell that people were being cautious around me after my outburst at the King. The one good thing that came from that night's entire experience was that people began to explain things to me. They told me that there was a Dark Lord named Sauron. They told me that he owned at ring that, if he found it, he would use to take over Middle Earth (that's the place I was in). They told me about two small hobbits who were on the way to his land, as we spoke, taking the Ring to the only place it could be destroyed. They told me everything.

I learned about other things too. Legolas taught me. He taught me about the Elves and Ents and Hobbits. He told me legends and sang me songs. He explained about the wonders and horrors of Middle Earth and what lay beyond. He told me of his family and where he grew up. I listened in awe to everything he had to say. If possible, everything he said made me fall in love with him more. I fell in love with his voice, with the way he formed words to make it sound like music. Everything about him was wonderful and I loved it all.

We had been spending more and more time together which is why, on the night where I had the first nightmare, he was the first one to come rushing in. The dream had started off normally but it had soon turned dark and suddenly, Sauron was in my head and I was screaming. Next thing I knew, I was awake again, unable to see. I felt hands gripping my shoulders and heard a soft voice telling me it was alright. After I had calmed down, he made to leave but I, in a moment of impulse, asked him to stay. I knew that the nightmares would go away if he was with me. Just like the first time he had stayed with me, he hesitated but eventually gave in. I could feel his stiffness and slight discomfort as he lay next to me. I tried to make it as easy as I could for him by staying on my side of the bed but I couldn't help but lean into him slightly. I fell asleep quickly and only had pleasant dreams for the rest of the night. When I woke up I was much closer to Legolas than I had been when I fell asleep and his body had relaxed considerably. The next night he stayed with me again and the next and the next.

On the fifth morning, something happened. I had just had a nice dream when I woke up to a bit of movement beside me. I opened my eyes and realized that I was much closer to Legolas than I had been in any of the nights before. My head was resting beside his chest and the movement I had felt was his breathing. I looked up at his peaceful face. He seemed to be asleep. That's when I realized something was different. I _looked_ up at his face. Looked. I could see! I let out a little yelp at the realization and Legolas's eyes snapped open. I just stared at him in awe. He was more handsome than I remembered. He was like a god or an angel. He even seemed to be glowing softly. The odd thing was that I could only see him but that was enough. The rest of the room was dark and blurry but he was clear as day.

"I can see you," I managed to get out.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! I know it's short and not too well written but I needed her to get her sight back somehow. She will regain more of her sight eventually but for now she just started to get it back. Tell me what you think! More reviews mean more chapters (hopefully better written ones)!**

**~Liliana**


	13. Chapter 12

**Here's a new chapter! It's also sort of short but I really have so little time these days, I couldn't make anything longer. I hope you enjoy it anyways. Again, Eomer might be slightly OOC, so sorry about that. Thank you for all the reviews and I hope you like it!**

**PS Anyone who said the thing she wanted most was Legolas or Legolas to love her was correct (I asked this a few chapters ago)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 12:

It took two full days to regain my sight completely but when it was back I saw more clearly than I ever had before. I could make out all the details of a tapestry across the room or see the individual blades of grass when I stepped outside.

Human senses have dulled over time. When we used to need all our senses to survive, they were in prime condition but as time went on they have diminished. Humans hardly use smell and we barely truly feel things. All we can taste are the sweetest and sourest of foods and hear the loudest sounds. Even our sight has lessened, only able to see the brightest colours and most obvious shapes.

My theory is that when I became blind, the rest of my senses went into overdrive and they were forced to become what they had always meant to be. Once I got my sight back, my brain had learned to make the other senses more alert and it had done the same with my eyes.

On the morning after I had completely regained my vision, I was in the main hall, learning to fight. With hand to hand combat I was fine, having been to as many martial arts classes as possible after what my uncle did to me. Working with actual weapons, however, was harder. I had no skill with a bow and arrow, as we had already established outside (we being Legolas and I), I was horrible with an axe (Gimli had helped me discover that), I couldn't even lift a sword and throwing knives was out of the question (my aim had much left to be desired). The only thing I was even remotely good at was fighting with a dagger and even that could use a lot of work. Still, it was passable and I could probably survive in battle unless faced with a skilled opponent.

I had apparently learned to fight with knives because I clearly had some prior knowledge. I couldn't remember ever learning but my muscle memory made it obvious that I had trained with them before; even if the blades had been slightly different (I assumed I had learned to knife fight, not learned to use an actual dagger).

I had been given a dagger and I was using it to practise with Eomer when Aragorn burst in. All eyes turned to him as he began to shout.

"The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid."

The King looked at me for a moment and I could feel the tension in the room. Everyone was wondering if he would keep his promise. He seemed to be deciding before he nodded at Aragorn.

"And Rohan will answer."

A grin broke out across my face and I laughed in relief. Eomer also became less tense and laughed as well and before I knew it, I was hugging him. I wasn't sure who had put their arms around each other first but somehow we had ended up in an embrace. I had probably hugged him, I reasoned. A respectable man such as Eomer would never touch a woman without consent, not even in something as innocent as a hug. Once I realized what I was doing, I pulled away slowly, embarrassed. My cheeks burned as I stared at him and he began to blush too. Someone coughed and we practically leapt away from each other. Everyone was looking at us.

"I-um," my face was probably bright red. "I'm just going to go." I pointed in one direction and went in the other, feeling somewhat dazed. I could feel Legolas's eyes burning a hole through my back as I left the room.

I heard Theoden yell behind me, "Muster the Rohirrim!"

I made my way to my room (actually the one Eowyn had let me use) and grabbed anything I might need, which wasn't much. I had my new dagger and a change of clothes (I was allowed trousers and a tunic, which I was quite grateful for. Dresses aren't really my thing).

By the time I had left the room, my face was a regular colour again and I was ready. I stepped outside and saw the whole city in an uproar. Horses were being saddled, armour was being put on, orders were being shouted.

Rohan was getting ready to go to war.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot and it would mean more chapters for you. Don't worry about the whole Eomer thing. Eomer and Estrella will not end up together; they're just good friends and a good way to make Legolas jealous ;) Hope you liked it!**

**~Liliana**


	14. Chapter 13

**New chapter! Thanks to all who reviewed! This is dedicated to my good friend DB who draws amazing dragons. I hope she likes it if she ever reads this far ahead. Sorry, the chapter isn't that great. Nonetheless enjoy!**

**PS I apologize if I got the time wrong (as in "it took them three days to get here and they stayed for 2 days" etc) but I was just making it up as I go because I was in a rush. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 13:

I was allowed to ride with Eomer, since we were short on horses. I rode behind him this time, not in front. From time to time he would shout back at me to make sure I was alright. Other than that we didn't speak. Eomer was probably forming battle strategies in his mind while I was just too embarrassed from hugging him earlier to really say anything to him. I caught Legolas giving us a disdainful look once but he turned away quickly and I didn't see him look at us again.

We rode to a large camp that had other riders coming in from all directions. It had taken us nearly 3 days to get there and my butt was sore and I was tired. Halfway through, Eomer and I had switched positions so I could ride in front of him and get some sleep. Still, the amount of sleep wasn't very much.

That's how come, once I was allowed to actually go to bed on something that wasn't moving that night, I fell asleep almost as soon as I had lain down. In the middle of the night I thought I heard someone yell Aragorn's name but I couldn't be sure.

The next morning brought more riders, but not many. Theoden announced that it was time to move out. It was only then that I realized Legolas wasn't there. I was trying to give him some space, like I usually did when he got all moody, so that's why I hadn't realized that he was gone. I tried to find Aragorn or Gimli to ask them where he was but I couldn't find them either. Finally, I found Merry but he didn't know where they had gone.

I made it back to Eomer just before the riders set off and asked him if he had seen Legolas.

"Aragorn and the elf and dwarf left late last night and went through there." he pointed at a narrow mountain pass and I shivered and looked away quickly. Something wasn't right about it. There was something almost evil in that passage. Something long gone still lingering. Something dead.

"May I ride with you?" I asked, changed the subject and trying not to dwell on the fact that I had lost the one I loved, yet again. I assumed that he had a good reason and I hoped that I would see him again. I tried not to worry too much though. That would just distract me from the task at hand and that could get me killed.

"Women are not allowed to go with the men into battle." Eomer told me. I began to protest but he held up his hand. "But before Gandalf left he asked that you would be allowed to go to battle with us, should that be what you wanted." I grinned and hauled myself up onto his horse.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p>By the time we reached Gondor, the city was already under siege. I stopped for a moment just to take it all in.<p>

In front of me was the most beautiful city I had ever seen (or at least, remembered seeing) going up in smoke. It was made of magnificent white stone and had seven levels. It was truly something to behold even with the outer walls broken and the fires spreading across it.

I looked around at all the Orcs going towards the gorgeous city and felt slightly sick to my stomach. There were also huge ugly creatures with skin the colour of clay and no hair that Eomer said were Trolls. My eyes could pick out some heavily tattooed men as well. There was a dragon like beast in the air and if I squinted I could make out a man, cloaked in black, riding the awful creature. I suppressed a shiver. I felt fear settle in my heart at the sight of the man. I shook my head. I was in for one hell of a ride.

"Are you nervous?" Eomer asked quietly, his arm around my waist, squeezing it slightly for reassurance.

I suddenly realized that Eomer would not be able to fight well with me on his horse.

"I'm fine," I whispered back. "Put me down as soon as you get the chance." I turned my head slightly to look at him and he looked surprised. Still, he nodded nonetheless.

Someone blew a horn, calling the attention of the armies of Mordor to us. We were still a little ways back, so they didn't attack. Yet.

Theoden rode ahead slightly and turned back to us.

"Arise!" he yelled at us. "Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered, a sword-day! A red day! Ere the sun rises!" I felt goosebumps from the sound of his voice inspiring us. The men readied their spears. I grabbed my dagger and held it close.

"Be ready," I heard Eomer say, warning me that he would be putting me down soon.

Theoden rode in front of the first line, hitting their spears with his sword.

"Ride now!" he shouted. "Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending!" I felt tears spring to my eyes as I let myself finally acknowledge that there was a very good chance I would never see Legolas again. Either of us could die in this mess. I gripped my dagger more tightly, feeling my determination surface. If I was going to die, at least I would die taking a couple of the enemies down with me. And if I lived, there would be no more waiting, I decided. If Legolas and I were both alive by the end of this, I would tell him how I felt.

With that promise in mind I narrowed my eyes and watched as the King rode back in front of us.

"Death!" he screamed.

"Death!" we shouted in response.

"Death!" he repeated.

"Death!" Each cheer was louder than the last.

"Death!" Theoden raised his sword higher than ever before.

"Death!" I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Forth Eorlingas!" the King screamed. Eomer and I both tensed, ready to get me off the horse as fast as we could. Someone blew the horn again. Others joined in and with that we rode to our destruction and ruin.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you think! More reviews mean more chapters for you guys! We are at the beginning of the end, my friends. There's not much left after this.**

**~Liliana**


	15. Chapter 14

**New chapter because you guys are so great! This will be the last new chapter in a week or two so, of course, I left you with a cliffhanger because I'm mean (sorry!). Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! It's a little short but it was a good place to stop and you got a chapter yesterday. And now, without further ado, read on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 14:

We were doing just fine until the giant elephants showed up. That's when everything went south.

I had managed to obtain no injuries and I had taken out quite a few of the foul creatures that belonged to Mordor but for that one moment when I was distracted, gazing at the huge creatures, that was the moment the Orc struck. It only managed to land a small cut on my left shoulder but it burned like nothing I'd ever felt before. I shook it off, however and killed the Orc.

"Re-form the line!" Theoden was shouting but I think we all knew that it wouldn't do us much good. They then charged towards the enormous monsters and I could do nothing but follow them, although I was a bit slower, seeing as by now, I was on foot. I'm going to die, I thought as I ran at the gigantic animals.

There were people on top of the creatures, I soon realized. They seemed to be steering the animals. They were like the tattooed men I had seen going towards Minas Tirith (it was more like face paint then tattoos, I now saw). Maybe, if someone could kill them, the animal would no longer attack. We might even be able to turn the large elephants against each other.

My thoughts were interrupted as a giant foot landed right where I had been just moments before. I looked up to see the creature stumbling and crashing into another. Someone must've killed whoever was driving. Some of the men from the first animal managed to get off it alive and they were now attacking the Rohirrim. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the dragon-like creature land somewhere close and I noticed what seemed like figures made of green mist joining the fight.

Unfortunately, I had no time to dwell on that. One of the men from the elephant had noticed me and was advancing towards me, a smile on his face. I knew instantly that he would be a better fighter than the Orcs were.

I attacked first, once he was close enough, but he disarmed me easily. He laughed as I backed away, unsure of what to do. I really am going to die, I thought. Suddenly an idea came to me, it wasn't perfect but it was better than nothing. When he was almost upon me, I grabbed the hem of my tunic and lifted it to my collarbone, exposing my bare chest. That made him drop his sword.

An arrow appeared through his heart and he fell to the ground, dead. Behind him was Legolas, his bow in hand. Thank God he's alright, I thought. He was gaping at me. I dropped my shirt quickly in a vain attempt to preserve my modesty. I could feel my face burning as I picked up my dagger. Legolas just stood in shock, staring at me. I heard someone shout his name, breaking him from his trance. He shot one last glance at me before running off in the direction of the yell.

An Orc attacked me at that moment and I needed to defend myself as quickly as possible. When I looked up again, Legolas was on top of one of the monstrous creatures, having already killed everyone on it. He then proceeded to slay the beast and slide of its trunk, sending a nod in Gimli's direction, which also happened to be in my direction. I felt faint.

At first, I thought it had to do with the butterflies in my stomach at what he had just done but I soon realized it was something else. My vision began to blur and I sank to my knees. I heard a shout and felt someone grab my shoulder and shake it but by then I was already losing consciousness. I felt the cut on my arm flare up again in pain. Stupid Orc, I thought just as I blacked out.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews mean more chapters and I'd really like to get this story to 150 reviews because it is unlikely that I will ever have another story so popular so I want this one to count. Estrella flashed the guy haha and worse, Legolas saw! Tell me what you think! Also now she's unconscious. Will she live? Will she die? Will she be forever disabled? What do you think? Tell me in the review!**

**~Liliana**

**PS I'm going to write a Pirates of the Carribbean modern day AU that will be a Will/OC fic. Would any of you be interested in that?**


	16. Chapter 15

**Super short chapter! The story will be ending in one, two or three chapters so brace yourself! This is a filler chapter. Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews! (I never thought that everyone would think she was going to die).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 15:

For the longest time all there was, was pain and darkness. It could've been minutes, it could've been hours, it could've been days. Maybe it was even years. I couldn't tell. I was too focused on the agony I was in.

In the end, Lúthien saved me once more. I only saw her for a fleeting moment but she was a light through all the darkness. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead. I also heard a mention of a gift, barely above a whisper and suddenly my eyes were open and the pain had subsided.

I looked around to get my bearings and concluded that I must've been in some sort of hospital ward. Just as I thought that, a woman came rushing up to me. She must've been a healer.

"You're awake! No one has ever survived that poison!" she said, smiling widely. "I would inform your friends but they just left." I sat bolt upright, not feeling any pain at all anymore. Whatever the Elf had done, she had done it well.

"Where did they go?" I asked, urgently. I needed to see Legolas.

The woman's expression became grim.

"They took their army to Mordor. The Black Gate."

For a moment I just gaped at her. Mordor? Why? It was a suicide mission! Legolas would die; I knew it in my heart. Everyone else would too. None would be left to challenge the strength of Sauron and all would bend to his will once he obtained the Ring. I couldn't let that happen. I needed to do something; anything.

I jumped out of bed, thankful that all the poison had left my body.

"Where are you going?" yelled the healer from behind me as I ran out of the room. I didn't bother to answer.

I found an armory and grabbed anything I would need. I ran out of the citadel and made my way to a lower part of the city where I asked for directions to that "Black Gate" the healer spoke of. I also stole someone's horse. Oops.

I moved as fast as I could towards Mordor. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't have some sort of plan. I just knew that I needed to do something, even if it didn't really change anything. If I didn't do anything, I would never see Legolas again.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews mean more chapters and I would love to hear your thoughts on the story! The review can be as long as you like, I really don't mind. I really want to get to150 reviews on this story *sheepish smile* since I will probably never have another story this popular. Like I said the story will be ending soon so I want to get the most reviews I can. Thank you. Also, it finally revealed what Lúthien's gift was! To be healed. Yay!**

**~Liliana**


	17. Chapter 16

**I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update! There's just been a lot going on and I had writer's block. I still sort of do but it's a bit better now. I'm sorry this chapter is so short! I will update when I can but it won't be as often as before since I have a lot going on. I'm going to try to finish this story though possibly before my other ones, so sorry if you're reading one of those as well. I hope you like this chapter, there are only a few more chapters left!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 16:

The sight that greeted me was not a pleasant one. The men had been backed into a perfect circle, completely surrounded by the armies of Mordor. I willed my horse to go faster. I needed to get there in time. It was a suicide mission to be sure but at least I would get to see Legolas, I reasoned. I would die without him anyways; not being able to go on with a heart that would be as shattered as mine. I sped towards my certain death, feeling no fear, just worry for my new friends.

I allowed my horse to go just before I reached the group. I arrived just as we charged and I plunged myself straight into battle. I would not allow Mordor to win, at least not without taking down as many of their vile creatures as I was capable of. I slashed and cut and stabbed as many Orcs as I could. They fell around me but more just kept coming. I slit one's throat as I punched another in the face. I kicked one that had come up behind me and then twisted its neck with all the strength I had, breaking it. I was actually making progress when I heard the scream.

It came from above and it was unlike anything I had ever heard before. It entered my mind through my ears and developed into an excruciating pain worse than anything I had ever experienced in the past. I fell to the ground, unable to think about the battle around me, unable to focus on anything other than the pain. It tore into me and ripped away my senses one by one, causing me to bleed from my eyes and ears.

My hearing was the first to go, the only thing left being a high pitched ringing that made my head throb uncontrollably. After that, it was my sight, reduced to a blinding white as if I lived in nothingness, as if I lived in an empty world devoid of colour. My taste and smell went together and last of all my touch. Blood flowed freely from my eyes and ears, my lips and nose as I felt an incredible numbness. I slid into an unconscious state that left me neither living nor dead, just forever trapped in this odd universe of oblivion.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot to me! Reviews mean more chapters! I hope you enjoyed it and sorry again for the shortness and long wait! Until next time!**

**~Liliana**


	18. Chapter 17

**New chapter! Only 1 or 2 chapters left! I tried to make this a bit longer (it's about a page long) but it just seemed like a good place to stop. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 17:

I saw Lúthien once more and as soon as I did, I knew it would be the last time. I was in that place again. That Shadow Realm.

She gazed at me sadly and I suddenly felt an extreme sense of failure. I had failed her, hadn't I? She had given me a very simple mission; don't die and get Legolas to fall in love with me, and I had failed. At that moment, it didn't occur to me that she probably wouldn't be angry at me for not getting Legolas to fall in love with me. I mean, that part of the "mission" was only for my own gain. She probably didn't even care all that much. But at that moment, I felt like a child who had disobeyed their mother. It felt to me that she was disappointed in me and that seemed worse to me than any other thing that she could've been feeling.

"I'm sorry," I said. She tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face.

"What for?" she asked.

"I didn't succeed." I said softly, feeling tears well up in my eyes as it suddenly hit me that I had never told Legolas how I felt.

The confusion fell from her face and she gave me a slow soft smile. She came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Not yet but you still have a chance." She told me. I looked up at her, wondering what she meant. I was dead, wasn't I? Or something along those lines at least. "You aren't dead yet," she said as if reading my thoughts.

"What am I doing here then?" I asked, incredibly confused now.

"You are almost gone." She informed me, her saddened expression returning as she stepped away from me slightly, as if touching me would be dangerous. I looked down at my hands and almost yelped in shock. They were fading away, slowly dissipating and becoming smoke.

"What's happening?" I asked, the fear evident in my voice.

"You are not part of any single world anymore," she explained. "Which means you do not belong to any afterlife either. If you die, you'll disappear forever. You need to be tied to something in a world. A person, a place , a thing, it doesn't matter. You aren't tied to anything in Middle Earth and you aren't tied to anything on Earth."

I felt panic beginning to overwhelm me as I listened to what she said. Dying I could deal with, but this sounded like I didn't have a soul anymore. To no longer exist at all terrified me.

"Now," Lúthien said, her eyes sparkling. "If you were tied to anything on Middle Earth, things would be different."

"What do you mean?" I regarded her suspiciously, wondering what she was getting at.

"You are not dead yet," she repeated. "But you are incredibly close. If you can pull yourself out of it then you might be able to still succeed. It would also give you time to tie yourself to something before you actually died."

"How do I tie myself to something?" I inquired. "How do I pull myself out of this? What was that thing that made me end up here?"

"It was the scream of a Nazgul," Lúthien ignored my other questions. "Things affect you differently than the others because you aren't of that world. That's why the poison from that Orc was so potent on you and the scream had such an effect. All it usually does is strike intense fear into the hearts of men but you, you it almost killed. It pulled you into a different reality. A reality in which you would've stayed, if I hadn't pulled you out."

"Well that's just great," I said sarcastically, referring to the fact that only bad things came from being from Earth, not even including the fact that I wasn't really trained to fight or anything like that.

"It does not come without its advantages," Lúthien gave me a meaningful look. "How do you think you blocked Sauron out with your mind when you took the Orthanc stone? If anyone else had tried that, they would've died."

My mouth opened slightly in amazement at that information. Of course! It all made sense now.

"So…my body is weaker in Middle Earth but my mind is stronger?" I asked, trying to put what I had learned into words.  
>"Something like that," Lúthien replied with a smile. "Which is why you have a chance at pulling yourself out of this but only if you start now." She shot a pointed look at my hands which were almost completely ghostlike.<p>

"Thank you," I said sincerely. She kissed my forehead once more and smiled again.

"Go," she said softly. I nodded. "I wish you the best of luck." I smiled at her.

And with that, I turned and walked away, not daring to look back, barely daring to look forward at what awaited me.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews mean more chapters! Hope you liked the chapter and it explains some things so everything makes more sense. The next chapter should be up in a few days but I'm not sure. Anyways, I hope this enough to tide you over!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	19. Chapter 18

**Another super short chapter but the next and final chapter should be longer! That's right folks! One more chapter left! I hope everyone enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you! Thanks for staying with me all this time.**

**Also a reminder that I deleted the author's note from a while back that said that I couldn't write because I was too busy and I replaced it with chapter 16, so if you're confused and haven't read that, go read it now! (I forgot to mention that last chapter, sorry!) Now without further ado, onto the second last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 18:

I must've been walking for an age when I came upon the first memory. It was of me and my parents; a Christmas. I watched it from above, wanting to reach them but being unable to.

I stood on empty air, all white around me except for the memories that played out beside me. I cried as I walked. Big silent tears as I watched my life unfold around me.

I saw my parents die in a car crash as I screamed in the backseat. I looked on as I went to the ocean for the first time. I watched a younger version of myself dance and laugh at a friend's wedding. Everything came flooding back to me as I treaded on the white nothingness that held my world together. I remembered my first kiss and my favourite diner and even my name.

Sophie.

It had floated out into the emptiness on which I stood and it called me towards a light, soft and weightless as if it were just wind. I squinted and followed the voice, picking up speed as I ran past my memories. I finally reached a door that was partially blocking the light. I almost opened the door but something stopped me.

I wasn't Sophie anymore, I realized. I was something different. I was Estrella now, whether I liked it or not. Whatever had concerned me before didn't concern me anymore. I knew that if I opened that door, I would have to be Sophie again. All the memories did was put me even more between worlds; split me, make me two different people. I smiled.

"I am Estrella," I said aloud to the voice behind the door, "and I am part of Middle Earth."

I put my hand on the knob of the door and closed it quietly, allowing myself to let go of all my memories; tying myself to the new and strange world I had grown to love even as evil slowly descended upon it.

And just like that everything turned dark and I was swept away.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot to me and more reviews mean the final chapter for you!**

**Thanks!**

**~Liliana**


	20. Chapter 19

**Not the last chapter quite yet. I thought this would be a good place to stop since I am having writer's block on the next chapter and I wanted to update. I really want to get to 200 reviews on this story. If I do, I will post an epilogue that I have in mind, regardless of whether I reach 200 reviews soon or in 6 months or whatever. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings**

Chapter 19:

The room was dark. I lay still, my eyes trained on the ceiling as I listened to the sound of my breathing. I felt weightless, as if I were floating.

I was glad that I had woken up here; in the dark. I was glad that I could take a few precious moments to feel my body being alive; to take in everything the world was in the wee hours of the morning, between night and day. I was glad I was given time to listen to the silence of the sleeping world and to drink in the sweet, unmoving air.

I was glad to be alive.

Lying there, in that room, gave me time to soak up everything wonderful and horrible that had happened. I was me and I was here and I couldn't ask for anything more; not that I wanted to.

There was something beautiful about the stillness of life. Too little people even realized it was there, always worrying about other things or getting bored with it too quickly. Nobody listened to the whispering of the wind or looked at the rain as it fell upon the soft earth. Nobody had the time to.

It seemed to me that the world was being neglected and I promised myself that I would take the time to notice it in all its glory as it presented me with wonders that were almost too brilliant to behold and that other people took for granted. I promised myself that I would be the one to show the universe that it mattered and that I appreciated all it did for us.

As I woke up that morning, I was offered a new lease on life. I was no longer the scared girl I had been when I first awoke in Middle Earth, nor was I the bold one that had plunged myself into battle in the name of love. I was somewhere in between and I liked it there. I was happy there.

I decided to watch the sunrise. It would give me a last moment of peace before the world erupted with its hustle and bustle.

I gently removed the sheet that covered me and grabbed a large jacket that was on a chair next to the bed. I slipped it on over the light cotton dress I wore and I left the room. It didn't take me long to find my way outside, since the marble corridors weren't all that confusing. It was only after I stepped outside that I realized that I was on top of the world. I was on the highest level of Minas Tirith and I smiled my good fortune.

I walked past the guards that stood around a white tree and I made my way to the edge of the cliff where there was an open spot. I sat there, letting my legs dangle over the edge, feeling no fear as I gazed down at the miniscule people. I felt as if I would be caught by the wind if I fell and I would be foolish to waste such a fine morning on worrying over something so trivial.

I looked back and watched the stars fade away before the sky became alive with the colours that the Sun brought with it when it awoke. Golds and pinks and blues erupted from the horizon in a kaleidoscope of wonders and I bathed in the richness of the tones that couldn't be recreated anywhere else. The White City gleamed beneath me, turning a brilliant silver and I smiled as the Sun herself appeared, moving lazily as if she had just gotten out of bed.

"You should be careful," said a soft voice behind me. I turned my head to see Legolas standing there.

"Why don't you join me?" I asked, patting a spot next to me as I turned my gaze back towards the sky where the magnificent show continued to unfold before me. I didn't want to miss a second of it.

"Lord Denethor fell from this very spot," he said as he took a seat beside me. "It is a dangerous spot."

"I will not let fear stop me from watching a sunrise," I replied simply, not looking at him. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Beautiful," he agreed. "Nothing can compare to the beauty of the awakening of the world."

"Except, perhaps, its slumber," I responded as I glanced over at him. He turned to look at me, a curious expression on his face.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Because it's true? The explosion of colours that the Sun creates when it rises has a different sort of beauty compared to the quiet, stillness of the night. The Moon is less harsh and the stars, less attention grabbing. The awakening of the world may be fireworks but its slumber is a small flower. It may be harder to find beauty in it but once it's found, you realize that its loveliness is just as great." I said.

"And which do you prefer?" he asked after a moment.

"The night," I answered without hesitation. "I've always preferred silver to gold, soft colours to bright ones and hidden beauty to grandeur."

He shook his head at me. "What?" I asked.

"You do not speak like anyone else of from your race. You are so different." I was surprised by his answer. I guess, I had supposed he would call me silly.

"That is because I am different." I informed him. "I'm not from here but I do not belong there. I was never supposed to be like the people here or the people where I came from. I was made to be different and I accept that. I have visited the world between worlds many times and I've traveled across realms. I've achieved things I'd deemed impossible and I've even fallen in love."

"With who?" was all he inquired after. The only thing he wanted to know about from my whole speech was who I had fallen in love with.

"You," I said simply before standing and walking back to the Citadel, the brilliant display of colours fading as the Sun moved up in the sky.

Show over.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot and would mean another chapter for you!**

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	21. Chapter 20

**Ok, I know I keep saying that the next one will be the last one but I really mean it this time. This just seemed like a good place to stop and it's longer than most chapters so I thought I would leave it there. There is one chapter left where Legolas will finally be able to talk to Estrella about what she said to him and an epilogue if I reach 200 reviews. I'm sorry this isn't the chapter you were hoping for but I wanted one dedicated to his reaction and this had way more stuff that needed to happen in it so I just left it there. Please forgive me! The next one will be up soon though and I promise it will be the one you've all been waiting for! Thanks for your patience!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 20:

It was Eomer who found me wandering.

"You're awake!" was the first thing he said, the surprise clearly visible on his face.

"Yes I am," I laughed.

"I was worried," he said seriously as he stepped towards me, his brows furrowed.

"As you can see, there was no need for that. I am alive and well." I held out my arms as if to demonstrate that I was whole. His face turned slightly pink. "What?" I asked.

"Your attire," he replied, averting his eyes. I looked down and saw I was still wearing my nightgown. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yes," I commented sarcastically. "How scandalous." His face turned a little redder at that but he still wouldn't look at me. "Oh for the love of...I'll go change, alright?"

"That would be best." Eomer agreed, keeping his gaze on the wall behind me.

I shook my head and made my way back to my room. I entered and stopped in my tracks as three different women turned to look at me.

"Uh-what?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the morning was a blur.<p>

Apparently the three women were sent to "get me ready" for Aragorn's coronation. It seemed that that was happening later that day and everyone in the Citadel was preparing themselves for it. Two of the women tugged my hair every which way and the other was making adjustments on the dress that had been chosen for me. I was very thankful when it was over.

"Take a look," the woman who had been doing things to my dress said as she stepped back to admire her work. I turned towards the mirror and examined myself.

I had to admit, I didn't look bad. My hair was done up in an elaborate style with a silver circlet weaved through it. A few golden strands fell loose and framed my face. There was no makeup, I assumed they didn't have that in Middle Earth but for whatever reason my cheekbones seemed more defined and my lips a bit pinker. My dress was long and a light blue, like a clear stream. The middle opened up to reveal a white skirt beneath, as dresses did in olden times. It was simple but I liked it.

"Thank you," I said genuinely to the women. They nodded and smiled before leading me out to the place where I had watched the sunrise. It was full of people and I suddenly felt overwhelmed. There was a small part sectioned off with guards and that's where I found Eomer. I gripped his arm after he greeted me and tried not to focus on the crush of people, rather working on keeping my mind and eyes on the spectacle taking place.

I watched as Aragorn walked up the stairs, truly looking like a king in his red cloak. Gandalf placed the crown on his head dramatically and I smiled. Aragorn would be a great ruler, I just knew it.

"Now come the days of the king," Gandalf told the people gathered for the ceremony. His voice was amplified in the way that only his voice ever managed to be. Then he said quietly, so only the people closest to him could hear, "may they be blessed."

"Here, here," I said softly and Aragorn's eyes flickered over to me. He looked shocked for a moment before a smile covered his features. His eyes sparkled with the promise that we would talk later. I nodded at him ever so slightly.

He turned to his people and as he did so, he seemed younger than I had ever seen him. The lines that the war had brought to his face disappeared and he looked more regal than ever. The crowd cheered as he faced them and I knew that he would be loved dearly by all who met him.

"This day does not belong to one man," he began as everyone quieted. "But to all." I squeezed Eomer's arm and he looked down at me, softness in his gaze. I smiled at him and he returned the gesture. "Let us together rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace." Everyone cheered again and white rose petals fell from the sky. I spotted Eowyn through the crowd with a handsome golden haired man I had never seen before. I waved at her and she nodded in reply, an expression of love and joy on her face. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't see Theoden. I wanted to ask about him but I felt that now wasn't the time.

The crowd went dead silent to listen as Aragorn began to sing. His voice was deep and gravely, like sand over rocks but at the same time, soft. It was entrancing, the kind of voice that you didn't get tired of, that could sooth you in the darkest of times.

Eomer pulled me out in front of the guards as Aragorn began to walk down the steps. We both nodded at him as he passed, as did Eowyn and her blonde friend. Next came Legolas and a party of elves who seemed to glow as if they bathed in liquid moonlight. I felt my heart stop for a moment as I gazed upon him, not seeing anything else other than him. He wore a silver circlet similar to mine and I felt my stomach drop in realization.

"He's a king," I breathed. Eomer shook his head.

"He's a prince," he whispered to me. How could I not have known? I should've realized by the way he spoke of his father and Mirkwood. I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Sometimes I was so stupid.

I watched as Aragorn placed a hand on Legolas's shoulder. Legolas responded in the same fashion, putting his hand on the new king's opposite shoulder. Aragorn said something in Elvish and Legolas smiled softly, glancing away from him for a moment. Aragorn's head turned in that direction and I could just barely see the hope and astonishment on his face as two elves stepped aside to reveal a white banner. There was an elfin woman behind it and I only just managed to stop myself from gasping when I saw her. She had an incredible resemblance to Lúthien; they shared the same nose, eyes and dark hair. She was not quite as gorgeous but she was pretty close. As I had with Eowyn, I felt an irrational rush of jealousy. I blushed at my vanity.

Aragorn moved away from Legolas slowly, treading carefully as if afraid he were in a dream and he could wake up at any given time, spoiling it. The woman walked towards him, the banner still in her hands. They stopped about a foot from each other and I could see tears in her eyes. Aragorn reached down and took a hold of the banner, giving it to someone off to the side. She bowed her head and he lifted her chin. The smile that graced her lips was one of pure happiness and light. They stared at each other for a moment more before Aragorn surged forward and kissed her passionately.

"Whoa," I said so only Eomer could hear. "That escalated quickly." He snorted but hastily turned it into a cough when someone looked our way. He glared down at me as everyone cheered. "What?" I asked innocently. He tried to look serious but his smile betrayed him as he shook his head at me.

"You are ridiculous," he stated.

"And that's why you love me," I said with a grin as I turned back to the action

The people had parted so Aragorn and the lovely woman could get through. They stopped and gazed at someone.

"Lift me up," I told Eomer. He shot me a look.

"What?"

"I can't see!"

He seemed like he was going to refuse judging by the scandalized expression he wore but I gave him my best puppy dog eyes and he sighed. He took a hold of my waist and lifted me so I could just make out the top of 4 little Hobbit heads. I recognized Merry and Pippin and assumed the others were Frodo and Sam, who I had heard about. When did they get here? I wondered. They bowed to Aragorn and he stepped forward.

"My friends," I heard him say as Eomer put me down. "You bow to no one."

And then everyone was on their knees, myself included. I glanced up to see three of the hobbits looking confused and uncomfortable and Pippin looking pleased as if he was finally getting the respect he deserved. I stifled a laugh and promised myself I would give him a small whack on the head later to keep him humble.

* * *

><p>After the coronation there were festivities. Everyone laughed and drank and danced until our faces hurt from the smiles that we had held there for so long and our throats were raw from all the singing and talking. It was near the beginning that Eomer pulled me aside to tell me what had happened when I was asleep.<p>

I had needed to sit down. Theoden was dead.

"This is my fault." I said looking up at him with tears in my eyes. "If I hadn't told him to go to Gondor-"

Eomer shook his head and assured me that it didn't have anything to do with me.

"He died the death he had wanted." He told me sincerely. "A hero's death."

That had made me feel a little better but it didn't stop me from crying into Eomer's shirt as he held me, apparently throwing propriety to the wind to comfort me in my grief. He also told me that Frodo had succeeded in dropping the Ring into Mount Doom (which I had guessed already since people wouldn't be so happy if the we hadn't won the war) and that the Eagles had flown over to Mordor to retrieve him and Sam before the entire land collapsed in on itself.

"How did I get out?" I asked in confusion once I had wiped away my tears and pulled myself together.

"Legolas," was all Eomer said in reply. I opened my mouth then closed it. Eventually I just nodded.

After that Eomer went to introduce me to Eowyn's betrothed, Faramir, the steward of Gondor. He was very nice and kind of perfect for her, even though I didn't know her that well. I went to see the Hobbits next, introducing myself to Frodo who had dark hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my life. He was honestly the most adorable thing and I hugged him and thanked him for saving my new home. Sam had light hair that was shorter and less curly than the other Hobbits.

"I've heard you were very brave," I said with a kind smile as I kneeled next to him. He blushed and shook his head.

"I didn't do much," he began. I cut him off by kissing his cheek. His blush deepened.

"That's not what I heard." My eyes sparkled as I stood. I made to leave and ended up almost running into Gandalf.

"Oh, there you are." The way he said it made it seem like he had been looking for me for ages. "I heard you were awake."

"You heard correctly." I replied with a small tilt of my head in acknowledgement.

"We should talk." It sounded like a suggestion but I knew it wasn't. He led me out of the main room and into a corridor where we were alone.

"What did you want to speak about?" I asked.

"Your memory," he said and his eyes twinkled as if he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. "Did you regain it?"

"It doesn't matter," I told him firmly. "My place is here now and these people are my family. My old life isn't an issue anymore. I'm Estrella and I plan on staying that way for a long time."

He then smiled at me like a father might and laughed deeply.

"Wonderful," he said. "Since this is no longer a problem, go back and enjoy the festivities."

I nodded and returned the room, deciding not to worry for the rest of the night; deciding to only have fun.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot and it would mean more reviews for you! 1 chapter left and an epilogue if I get to 200 reviews! It'll be up soon. Hope you liked the chapter even though it was a filler one! Tell me what you think! **

**Thanks,**

**~Liliana**


	22. Chapter 21

**The actual final chapter! Thank you all so much for all your reviews and favourites and follows. It really means so much. You were all wonderful readers and I can't believe this story got so popular. Please take time to review at the end. It would really mean the world to me and if I get to 200 reviews I will write an epilogue for y'all. You guys were an amazing audience and it was a pleasure to write for you. I really hope that this lives up to your expectations. **

**Enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 21:

I realized it as soon as Elrond made me laugh. He was the father of Arwen, the woman that Aragorn loved, and I had been speaking with him about elves. Meeting Legolas's gaze from across the room only confirmed what I had been thinking.

He walked towards me; that glow still surrounding him that made it look as if he had just descended from heaven. We met in the middle of the room, not allowing ourselves to tear our eyes away from each other. An extreme sense of déjà vu plagued me the entire way. He looked as confused and uncertain as the first time this had happened and I felt just as much longing and love as I had in my dream.

His hand rose to cup my cheek as I knew it would and he leaned down so I could feel the ghost of his breath on my lips. His eyes flickered down to my mouth for a moment before meeting my gaze again.

For a single moment it seemed as if everything had stopped. It was like we were the only people in the world as we just looked at each other, suspended in space and time.

The moment was broken when I suddenly stood on my tiptoes and covered his mouth with mine. He kissed me softly and tentatively as if he was unsure, letting his hand slip from my cheek. It seemed to me as if the floor had slipped out from beneath my feet and I was walking on air.

Unfortunately, the kiss was quick and only lasted a few seconds at the most. We pulled away slowly and I became worried at his lack of expression. I knew that kissing didn't always mean love. What if this was one of those situations?

"I was right," was all he said. I looked at him, confused.

"About what?"

"You really did wander from a dream." He replied simply.

"What does this mean for us?" I asked still not really sure about his feelings.

Legolas looked around before answering. "Why don't we go somewhere more private?"

I nodded and he took my hand, making my fingers tingle. He led me towards the door and into the night. We stepped out to the yard where the coronation had taken place and he took me to the spot where we had watched the sunrise.

There he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, an unreadable expression on his face as he gazed at the moon. I swallowed, now quite filled with worry. He didn't seem to return my feelings and the thought made my heart break. I breathed deeply and tried to focus on the positive things. He hadn't explicitly told me that he didn't love me, though it seemed quite obvious to me that that was the case.

"What does this mean for us?" I repeated after a few moments of silence and I cringed at the way my voice trembled.

"I-" he sighed before turning to me. He looked tired and somehow older. "I fear kissing you was a mistake." I inhaled sharply and bit my lip, willing my tears not to fall.

"May I ask why?" I did my best to keep my voice steady.

"You confuse me," he confessed, for the first time since the kiss showing an expression other than resignation. "I think you're wonderful but you also make me jealous and angry." He paused as if wondering what the best way to proceed was. "You're so different. I don't know if you meant what you said this morning but I can't risk hurting you if you did." He looked right at me and I was surprised at the vulnerability in his gaze. "I do not believe your words were consciously empty, for you would not be so cruel as to toy with my heart in such a manner but that doesn't mean that what you said was true. The race of Man uses words like love more liberally than elves do. Elves fall in love, truly in love, once. Mortals fall in love with ease and fall out of it even more easily. I'm sorry that I cannot risk my heart upon someone who I cannot be certain will always love me. I think it would be better if we forgot about this. You can find someone local and of your race while I go across the Sea." He gazed at me with sadness and raw honesty. "I'm sure there are many fine men available in Gondor and trust me, you'll have no difficulty finding someone who has interest in you."

I gaped at him.

"You say it was a mistake because you are afraid that I do not love you?" I asked incredulously. "How can you say that? Surely you do not think me capable of such idiocy and ignorance that I would tell you I loved you if I didn't mean it!"

"It is not only that," Legolas interjected before I could continue. "I fear I do not love you." I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. "I know I feel something towards you but who can say if it's truly love? You are odd and new and intoxicating and it is likely that I simply have an infatuation with you. I am sorry for encouraging your affections without the absolute certainty that I loved you. That was truly not my intention when I went to talk to you inside. Kissing you was an accident and a mistake." I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me by stepping towards me. His words were now laden with emotion in a way that I had never heard from him before. "I want to love you. You're a fine woman and I don't want to hurt you but for that reason I cannot guarantee anything. I cannot pledge myself to you only to find that I do not love you. If you were an elf it would be different but..."

"How so?" There was a harshness to my tone that hadn't been there before and an edge to my voice.

"If you were an elf I would exchange rings with you and we would wait a year," he told me. "If either of us changed our minds we would return the rings and part ways. But you aren't an elf. You're of the race of Man and that means that I would lose my immortality if I gave myself to you. If I realized I didn't love you or you decided that you were bored with me then I wouldn't be able to cross the Sea. I can only give up that option if I can say that my love for you is definite and indisputable. There can be no doubt in my mind, no hesitation in my heart." He paused to gauge my reaction then looked down. When he looked back up at me, I could see how sorry he really was. "For these reasons it was a mistake and although they appear insufficient to you, surely you can understand that the motives which govern me are only noble. They're to protect both our hearts from further pain."

I just shook my head at him, my face wet with tears.

"Can't you see that this will leave me in more anguish than anything else you could've possibly done?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"I suppose it would be too much to ask to part ways as friends?" he said, not really responding to what I had just said.

I shook my head at him.

"No," I told him. He seemed to visibly deflate but he nodded.

"I understand." He replied and he had an expression of hurt upon his face. He began to turn away before he stopped. "I apologize for any pain I may have caused you. Believe me, it was unconsciously done and I shall suffer as much as you for my stupidity."

That's when I got angry. I had traveled across worlds for him and even come back from the dead! I wasn't just going to let him walk away. I wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Kiss me," I said. A look of utter surprise crossed his features.

"Excuse me?"

"Kiss me," I demanded walking up to him, barely leaving any space between us. I searched his eyes. "Kiss me and tell me that you don't feel it. Tell me you don't love me." I had never been so bold before but I was tired of not doing anything. "Please," I added softly.

His gaze softened and I could see his resolve wavering. He sighed and surrendered to me. He took my face in both his hands and hesitated for a moment before pressing his lips to mine.

People always describe the best kisses as the ones that made fireworks go off in their head. I didn't feel fireworks. I felt shooting stars with ten times the beauty and intensity of any artificial light that could be created by man. They spread fire throughout my body, giving warmth to even my toes.

This kiss was more certain than the first one, more sure of itself. It started off slow and light but soon he was kissing me deeply enough to make me forget what my own name was. Somehow my arms had ended up around his neck, holding me in place so I wouldn't lose my balance.

When we pulled apart he seemed somewhat dazed and my breathing was heavy.

"Tell me you didn't feel anything," I said again. He looked at me for a moment, seeming to be in some sort of trance.

"I didn't feel anything," he answered and my heart dropped to my stomach. He rested his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes. A smile graced his lips. "I felt everything."

My breath caught in my throat and he shook his head as if in disbelief.

"This isn't an infatuation," he decided. "I am, quite honestly, completely and utterly in love with you."

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! 200 reviews mean an epilogue and they honestly brighten up my day so much, no matter the length. Tell me what you think, whether it was good or bad. Estrella finally completed her mission to get Legolas to love her and her dream actually came true at the beginning of the chapter (the dream that happened at the beginning of the story). Tell me what you think about that!**

**Thank you all so much for everything. I love you all!**

**Goodbye,**

**~Liliana**


	23. Epilogue

**Thank all you lovely people for getting me to 200 reviews. It honestly means so much and here is the epilogue I promised. I am so sorry if it doesn't live up to your expectations but I did my best to try to stay true to the characters. Before I continue I should address a few things:  
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**1. Aragorn had earlier made a silent promise to talk to Estrella. That promise wasn't about anything in particular, just to make sure she was alright and all that. Sorry if that confused any of you.**

**2. I did a lot of research on Elven marriage for this chapter but I changed a few things so that some of our traditions could be brought to light as well. Also I made up a few things.**

**3. I described Thranduil as best I could on what I know from the Hobbit movies (since I haven't read the book in a long time). I apologize if this isn't accurate.**

**Anyways, that's about it. Enjoy the epilogue!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit.**

Epilogue:

As it was in Middle Earth, marriage was the next step after a declaration of love.

We did our best to follow Elven custom, though it was hard. Eldar law, as explained by Legolas, states that the betrothed would exchange silver rings at a meeting of the two houses concerned and would then wait at least a year before a wedding ceremony. Considering Legolas's father was in Mirkwood and I had no parents, we didn't quite follow tradition. Still, we tried.

The rings we used were provided by Lord Elrond himself, who blessed the union personally. We stayed in Gondor for his daughter's wedding with Aragorn and then ventured to Rohan for King Theoden's funeral to pay our respects. Soon after we set out towards Mirkwood with only one another for company, promising to return one day once we were wed.

Reaching Mirkwood took many months. It would not have taken as long if it had not been for me, since I was easily tired and even more easily distracted. I took comfort in the thought that we had a year at the least to wait so I used the time to do some sightseeing in the world I had grown to love but seen little of.

"We'll never make it there if we keep stopping," Legolas scolded one day near Lothlorien but there was affection in his tone even as he said it.

I grinned at him but offered no answer in return. He sighed before taking a hold of my hand as his gaze turned towards the Golden Wood. I pleaded with him silently, using my eyes to convey my message. Again he sighed and shook his head but there was an expression of resignation on his features and I knew that I had won.

"Only for a little while," I begged. Legolas took one look at me and gave in. I gave him a quick hug before changing direction and moving towards the Hidden Land.

Legolas soon matched my pace and joined me once more. He seemed to be thinking, worry creeping into his expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He shook his head and replaced his expression with a smile.

"Nothing of importance." He replied, offering no other explanation. I didn't push it, although it worried me. Still, he was entitled to his privacy.

It wasn't long before we encountered the elves of Lorien and we were taken to their Lord and Lady.

Lothlorien itself was beautiful beyond measure and unlike anything I had ever seen before. I had never been to a city of Elves, only heard of them from Legolas and the rest of the Fellowship.

There were 3 important ones it seemed, or at least there were 3 that were mentioned.

One was Rivendell where Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen were from. Aragorn had told me that is where he had grown up and suddenly his and Arwen's union made much more sense.

The other two were Mirkwood (once called Greenwood) which is obviously where Legolas was from and Lothlorien. According to Legolas and most of the Fellowship, Lorien was by far the loveliest (though Legolas warned me not to mention that in front of his father).

I had met the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood while in Rohan at the funeral for the king. They had also been at the wedding, since apparently Arwen was related to the Lady.

They were called Galadriel and Celeborn and they were gorgeous as all Elves seemed to be. Lady Galadriel especially seemed to surpass all Elves in both beauty and grace (save perhaps Lúthien). She had long golden hair that fell to her waist in length and seemed to be made of the morning rays cast by the Sun herself. Her skin seemed to be made of porcelain, perfect and white, while her eyes were wise and all knowing.

We were greeted by those same eyes in Lorien, though there was less sadness in them than there had been at the funeral.

"Welcome Estrella of Fangorn (for Merry and Pippin had introduced me as such in Gondor to all who asked) and son of Thranduil," Celeborn said with a nod of his head. "Though it gladdens my heart to have you venture here once more, I am curious as to what the occasion is for you to both join us so soon after we last met."

It was Galadriel who answered for us, a smile on her lips and a knowing look on her face. "You are journeying to Mirkwood to be wed, are you not?"

Legolas smiled slightly and nodded, "Estrella begged to be shown the Golden Wood and I could not refuse her."

"It is only a childish desire," I interjected. "But I've heard so much about the beauty of this place and I could not just pass it by on our way to Mirkwood."

A light laugh escaped the Lady of Lorien's lips, resembling the sound of silver bells. "You may stay here as long as you wish." And Celeborn nodded his consent.

"Thank you," I smiled brightly, truly meaning what I said before being led off by some Elves to somewhere we could stay.

It was that night that I went to see what had been bothering Legolas earlier. He had a "room" sectioned off to himself by a curtain of sorts and I knocked on a tree near the makeshift door, pulling him out of his deep thought.

"May I come in?" I asked softly as he looked up. He smiled.

"Of course." He patted a spot beside him, a habit he had picked up from me.

Once I was seated I turned my worried gaze upon him and opened my mouth to ask the question that I had been meaning to for a few months now, for that had not been the first time that I had caught Legolas staring off into space with a similar expression of unease. "What's been bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" his eyebrows raised slightly and his eyes held what seemed like genuine inquiry. I gave him a look.

"You know what I mean." I replied. "I've seen you, you know, though you might not have intended that. I've noticed how you become worried and pensive when you think I'm not looking." At that his mouth set in a grim line and I could tell I had struck a chord.

"It is simply something I must come to terms with myself." His gaze softened slightly as it landed on me and he pulled me to him so my head rested on his shoulder in a rare moment of physical affection. "It's nothing to be concerned about."

I took a deep breath before pulling away, something I would normally not dare to do for fear I would give off the wrong impression and he would think I no longer loved him.

"It's not because of what I told Theodenking that night in the Golden Hall, is it?" Finally voicing the worry that had plagued me all this time.

You see, Elves can only truly achieve marriage when the two bodies of the lovers had been united. Elves are only with one other for their whole lives and therefore a union such as that is only done with their spouse. I had never been with a man by my own choice but Elves would not have the problems that came with lust filled uncles and therefore marriage between Legolas and I might not be truly possible.

Legolas's eyebrows shot up and he stared at me in surprise. He had never brought it up after that night and I had never mentioned it again since the topic would only reopen old wounds and cause awkwardness between us.

"Is that what you think?" his voice sounded almost hurt. "Of course not!" He pulled me to him once more in an embrace. "What happened to you, you had no control over." He mumbled into my hair, his lips pressed against my head. My shoulders relaxed a bit as I leant into him. "If that's what you're concerned about then all your worrying has been for naught. There was nothing you could do and even if there was, I doubt that I have any control over how I feel towards you. Even if my head disagreed, my heart would surely never listen and I would care for you the same as I do now."

"So you're not having second thoughts because I'm not 'pure'?" I asked, my voice coming out somewhat muffled against his chest. I could feel him shaking his head as his grip on me tightened.

"Never."

I felt so small then, in his arms but I enjoyed it nonetheless. He rarely touched me save taking a hold of my hand and when he did it was almost always fleeting and left me longing for more.

"To speak the truth, I am only worried about my father's reaction to you," he told me honestly once he had let go. "But that shouldn't worry you. I will deal with it appropriately when the time comes." He smiled down at me and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. "For now we shall simply try to enjoy ourselves."

And enjoy ourselves we did.

We spent a whole month in Lothlorien, seeing all there was to see and spending as much time as we could together.

On the thirty first day we took our leave, thanking the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood for all their hospitality and kindness.

It took us another 2 months or so more to get to Mirkwood and at least another week to actually reach the Elvenking's Halls.

The palace was large and beautiful, though truth be told not any comparison to Lorien. Guards were stationed at the gate and then again across the bridge at the massive double doors that opened into Lord Thranduil's halls.

Everyone seemed fairly astonished to see Legolas, with a human woman no less, but they bowed despite that and let him through, greeting him as the prince.

It was only once we were actually on our way up to the throne room that Legolas intertwined our fingers and shot me a smile. I gave him a questioning look, wondering if this show of affection would make his father angry.

"I want him to know I'm serious in my love for you," he whispered in my ear and after that I couldn't keep the grin off my face no matter how hard I tried.

The king was beautiful and looked to be the same age as Legolas, though I knew there had to be at least a few centuries of difference. He had white blonde hair that was straighter than I thought possible and large dark eyebrows. His eyes were an icy, yet alluring, blue and his expression stern. It occurred to me that had I not already fallen head over heels for his son, it would've been easy to be entranced by him.

Legolas kneeled before his father, never letting go of my hand all the while, and I followed suit, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"My Lord Thranduil." He said in form of greeting. I stayed silent, feeling it wasn't my place to speak.

For the sound of robes swishing, I assumed the King had stood up and was approaching us.

"Rise," was all he said once his boots came into my line of vision.

"Father," Legolas addressed him with a nod once we were on our feet once more.

"So you have returned." Thranduil's expression was unreadable but there seemed to be the slightest hint of a smile in his tone. He looked upon me and although his eyes didn't betray anything I felt as though he did not approve of me. "And you have brought a mortal with you." He turned back to his son. "May I inquire as to why?"

"This is Estrella of Fangorn," he informed his father and King. "And we wish to be wed."

For the first time since we had first set foot in the palace, the King's expression changed. He looked surprised to say the least.

"A mortal?" was all he seemed able to say.

Legolas nodded. "Yes." He seemed to see that Thranduil was in no state to reply anytime soon and he pushed on. "We have come here in the hopes that we would have your blessing and that you would be the one to perform the wedding ceremony seeing as neither of us have any other parents."

Thranduil didn't respond, he just turned his gaze upon me.

"Excuse me while I talk to my son privately," he said coolly, his expression becoming unreadable once more as he nodded towards one of the guards who came to escort me away.

The guard spoke not a word until we reached a bedroom where he asked me to stay until I was called to dinner. I nodded and waited for what must've been at least an hour before Legolas appeared in my doorway. His face was slightly red but he smiled at me and I knew there was nothing to worry about.

"So?" I asked.

"It took some persuading," he admitted as he entered the room. "But Thranduil has agreed to marry us."

My hand rose to my mouth to keep myself from making any sort of noise as tears of joy filled my eyes and I nodded. Legolas's smile widened and he took me up in his arms, kissing my head.

"I love you," he whispered, saying those exact words for the first time since when he had first admitted it in Gondor.

"I love you too," was my only response as I rested my head against his chest.

I was more than ready to spend the rest of my life with this Elf.

* * *

><p>The next few days were a blur with everyone preparing for the wedding. News spread fast throughout the kingdom and Elves came from all around. Thranduil didn't seem to particularly enjoy my presence but considering the cold greeting he gave me, I felt as if he was a least warming up to me.<p>

I often found him or other Elves staring at me curiously as if wondering what could make me so special as to make an Elven prince fall in love with me. I paid them no mind, knowing that I would be just as curious if I were them.

The day of the wedding finally came and I awoke early. I ate breakfast alone in my room nervously and read the rest of the morning away to take my mind off it. I had insisted on some of my own traditions, such as Legolas not seeing me until the actual wedding.

It was past midday when a few Elf maidens came to help me get ready. I was given the formal royal attire to wear; a lovely white gown that shimmered as if it were made of starlight and a silver circlet. They arranged my hair so it was down with a few braids holding the circlet in place. After that all I had to do was get dressed and wait to be summoned.

"The dress belonged to the Queen," one of the Elves told me as I stared at my reflection. I turned back to her.

"It's an honor to be able to wear it," I answered, bowing my head. She seemed to find my answer acceptable and said nothing more until we were called upon when she escorted me to dinner.

The feast took place in a great hall but I barely saw it all. I was too busy looking at Legolas. He looked positively regal with a gold circlet on his head and in a silver tunic that reminded me of the moon. He spotted me and gazed for a moment in what seemed to be awe before his eyes reached my face and he smiled in acknowledgement. I returned the smile and sat in my appointed seat.

The feast went as expected with many Elves asking me all sorts of questions and the sounds of merriment ringing through the halls. It was only after it was over that Legolas and I were asked to stand at the head of the table where Thranduil joined our hands and blessed us. He spoke of many things, most of which I didn't understand but it entranced me all the same.

"Now for the rings," he called. An Elf appeared at his side, handing him two thin golden bands.

Legolas slipped off his silver ring and handed it to me and I did the same, holding the one he had given me in the palm of my hand. He then took a ring from the Elf and slipped it on my ring finger, something which I had asked. Thranduil had grudgingly agreed when I told him that's what meant marriage to my people.

I took the other gold ring and placed it on the index finger of Legolas's right hand, as was the Elven custom and we shared a smile before joining hands once more.

"All rise to pay respects to the newlyweds!" Thranduil commanded.

As one all the Elves at the table stood and put their right hands over their hearts, bowing. Legolas and I returned the gesture before the Elf that had held the rings quietly ushered us to the room we would share.

Once the door closed, Legolas turned to me, a radiant smile on his already beautiful face. Before I knew what was happening he was kissing me and I felt like I was falling. He hadn't kissed me on the lips since the night of Aragorn's coronation and it caught me off guard but that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it immensely.

"Wow," was the only word I could summon once he pulled away, my voice sounding breathless.

"I love you," he said, resting his forehead on mine. I just nodded, feeling rather speechless. His smile returned as he picked me up unexpectedly causing me to yelp before it turned into a laugh as he carried me across the room.

"My beautiful, beautiful wife," he murmured as he lowered me onto the bed. I beamed up at him, feeling a sort of happiness that I had never thought was possible.

It was only the next day, after we were officially husband and wife that I remembered who had sent me on this path on the first place.

"Thank you Lúthien," I said quietly as I tucked a strand of Legolas's hair behind his ear, staring at his peaceful form. He mumbled something in his sleep and tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer.

And for a moment, as I lay in all my bliss, I could've sworn that I heard a sweet voice whispering a blessing on the wind.

**Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! Even though it's over, each review means the world to me, no matter the length or time I get them (today or 5 years from now). Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated so please keep them coming! I would also love to hear your thoughts on the epilogue, so please let me know what you think.**

**I truly love each and every one of you. You are amazing and have kept me writing. Thank you all so much.**

**~Liliana**

**PS I have begun writing a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic that's a modern day AU. It's Will/OC and called The Letter Writer if you want to check it out. Thanks!**


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